Democratic presidential hopeful Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke has put the lie to the oft-used Democrat contention that “nobody is going to take your guns” by telling reporters this is exactly what will happen if he becomes the next president, according to Fox News.
Speaking to reporters over the weekend in the wake of two mass shooting tragedies in Texas, the former congressman declared, “I want to be really clear that that’s exactly what we are going to do. Americans who own AR-15s, AK-47s, will have to sell them to the government.”
The term applied to O’Rourke’s plan is “compensated confiscation.” People who resist surrendering their legally-owned firearms to an O’Rourke administration would wind up on the wrong side of the law. His crude campaign message: “This is F—-ed Up,” which he mentioned during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He was also unabashed about the idea in tweets.
O’Rourke is not the only Democrat candidate who has made such a threat against the millions of law-abiding citizens who currently own and legally use Modern Sporting Rifles, the semi-auto civilian look-alike of a military firearm. By some estimates, there are more than 15 million such rifles in private hands today, and more people are buying them. The MSR platform is the most popular rifle in America today, now offered in various calibers that make it the choice of many hunters for small and big game. The contention that “nobody uses an AR-15 for hunting” has been demonstrably refuted by increasing numbers of hunters, including those who post photos on social media.
I was asked how I'd address people's fears that we will take away their assault rifles.
I want to be clear: That's exactly what we're going to do. Americans who own AR-15s and AK-47s will have to sell their assault weapons. All of them. pic.twitter.com/YbnSsz3bVy
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 2, 2019
The anti-gun Democrat’s remarks came in the wake of the shooting in Odessa that claimed seven lives over the weekend. The man believed responsible was killed in a shootout with police, and published reports say he failed a background check five years ago, but was able to obtain a semi-auto rifle via a private sale, with no background check.
Other recent mass shooters obtained their firearms via retail sales, passing background checks in the process. But what they subsequently did with those guns violated several laws, including the commission of multiple homicides. The Garlic Festival killer in Gilroy, Calif., bought his gun legally in Nevada, where he was living at the time, but brought it across the border into California, where such firearms have been banned.
Indeed, the Odessa gunman is something of an anomaly. Nearly all other killers involved in mass shootings in recent memory obtained their firearms at retail. The handful who didn’t include the Sandy Hook murderer, who killed his own mother and took her guns, and the student who opened fire at Thurston High School in Springfield, Ore., two decades ago, who murdered both of his parents, taking his father’s guns.
Even the Sutherland Springs, Texas church shooter bought his guns at retail, passing a background check because the military apparently did not forward notification of his military conviction to the National Instant Check System.
