Freedom

By Jay Clemons  

Beto O’Rourke has apparently flipped his stance on Texas citizens owning AR-15-style weapons.

On the Texas Democrat gubernatorial candidate’s official website, citing a Fox News report, the section addressing “gun safety” currently reads: “I’m proud of Texas’ long tradition of responsible gun ownership. Like millions of Texans, my family taught me how to safely and responsibly use firearms — and I passed those teachings onto my own children.

“To uphold that tradition, we must change how easy it is for people to use firearms irresponsibly in this state. Over 4,000 Texans are killed by gun violence every year. Women in Texas are 24 percent more likely to be murdered with a gun than women in other states. And four of the worst mass shootings in American history have taken place right here in Texas in just the past decade.”

However, for AR-15s and AK-47s, O’Rourke’s website contains more restrictive language: “While it might not be the easy or politically safe thing to say, I don’t believe any civilian should own an AR-15 or AK-47.

“When a gunman drove to a Walmart in my hometown of El Paso and managed to kill nearly two dozen of my neighbors with an AK-47 in under three minutes, it made it all too clear to me that it is far too easy for Texans to get their hands on weapons of war that are designed specifically to kill people in masses in as little time as possible.”

That is in contrast to what O’Rourke’s website reportedly said on April 1, courtesy of The Internet Archives: “While it might not be the easy or politically safe thing to say, I strongly believe that we need to reduce the number of AR-15s and AK-47s on our streets.”And in 2018, while running for Senate against incumbent Ted Cruz, R-Texas, O’Rourke said, “We support the Second Amendment, if you own a gun keep that gun … no one wants to take it away from you, at least I don’t.”

And in 2018, while running for Senate against incumbent Ted Cruz, R-Texas, O’Rourke said, “We support the Second Amendment, if you own a gun keep that gun … no one wants to take it away from you, at least I don’t.”

However, one year later, when O’Rourke went all-in for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, he declared, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47!”

“We’re not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore,” O’Rourke added in 2019, while discussing his proposed mandatory gun buy-back program.

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In February, while announcing his still-ongoing plans for the Texas governor’s race, O’Rourke professed a more relaxed attitude about Americans preserving their constitutional rights.

“I’m not interested in taking anything from anyone,” said O’Rourke a few months ago. “What I want to make sure that we do is defend the Second Amendment.”