After Promise to Punish Gun Owners Backfires, Sagging Beto Says 'I Want to Defend the 2nd Amendment'
Defeated 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke reversed his previous stance on gun confiscation during a campaign stop in Tyler, Texas, earlier this week.
O’Rourke, who is now running for governor of Texas, said that he’s “not interested in taking anything from anyone,” in regards to guns.
O’Rourke even claimed that he wants to “defend the Second Amendment,” KLTV reported.
The defeated 2018 Senate candidate enthusiastically told millions of American gun owners he’d “take your AR-15” during a primary debate.
O’Rourke left no doubt that he supported full-on gun confiscation during his 2020 campaign. In one CNN interview, he said that he expected Americans to “follow the law,” even in regards to a mandatory buyback of guns.
Some accused O’Rourke of flip-flopping on gun policy, acting out of political expediency to appeal to Texas voters.
A lie for political expediency. Unless he wants to come out and denounce the promise he made in front of the entire country on the debate stage that fateful night.
— Invisible Constituent (@JustGreggo) February 9, 2022
O’Rourke has largely focused on energy policy since announcing his gubernatorial campaign. Texas State Rep. Jay Dean organized a protest of O’Rourke called “Save Texas Energy Jobs,” KLTV reported.
Texas voters tend to support the Second Amendment, a political reality that could prove a stumbling block for O’Rourke.
O’Rourke faces an uphill battle for Texas’ governor’s mansion, challenging an incumbent Republican in a state that typically strongly supports the GOP. Polling shows O’Rourke with only 27 percent support from Texas voters, even without including Abbott as his opponent.
The former congressman pivoted to criticizing Gov. Greg Abbott’s support of permitless carry legislation.
“I want to make sure that we protect our fellow Texans far better than we’re doing right now,” O’Rourke said.
“And that we listen to law enforcement, which Greg Abbott refused to do. He turned his back on them when he signed that permitless carry bill that endangers the lives of law enforcement in a state that’s seen more cops and sheriff’s deputies gunned down than in any other.”
Polling from Quinnipiac shows that Texas voters view O’Rourke’s gun policies poorly.
President Joe Biden claimed during his 2020 campaign that his primary rival would lead his administration’s gun control effort.
County sheriffs across America have rebuked O’Rourke’s gun seizure proposal, rejecting the notion of helping the federal government confiscate AR-15’s.
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