Presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) recently endorsed a mandatory-buyback program for assault weapons: not only would consumers no longer be allowed to buy AR-15s and AK-47s, but Americans who currently own them would be legally required to sell them to the government in exchange for compensation.
It’s a fairly new and controversial proposal for a national candidate, though an independent poll last week found 46% support for the idea.
When the issue came up during last night’s debate, the Texan said, “[I]n Odessa, I met the mother of a 15-year-old girl who was shot by an AR-15, and that mother watched her bleed to death over the course of an hour because so many other people were shot by that AR-15 in Odessa and Midland, there weren’t enough ambulances to get to them in time. Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.”
One viewer registered a specific kind of objection via Twitter.
A Texas state representative had a menacing response to Beto O’Rourke’s statement in Thursday’s debate that “hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15.”
“My AR is ready for you Robert Francis,” Republican Representative Briscoe Cain tweeted about O’Rourke, using the presidential candidate’s legal first and middle name.
Cain later deleted the tweet. Nevertheless, I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest those who threaten to shoot presidential candidates probably shouldn’t own military-style assault weapons.
O’Rourke told CNN this morning that his campaign contacted the FBI about the Texas Republican’s missive. “I mean, anytime you have somebody threatening to use violence against somebody in this country to resolve a political issue — or really for any reason — that’s a matter for law enforcement,” the Texas Democrat said.
Time will tell whether Briscoe Cain faces any legal troubles for his not-so-subtle threat, but it’s worth contextualizing this incident because it’s part of a larger story.









