Former presidential and U.S. Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke just isn’t very good at the whole politics thing.
A skilled politician would know how to make his flip-flops less obvious.
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O’Rourke, who is running for governor in Texas, said this week he has no intention of confiscating certain types of firearms from lawful gun owners.
“I’m not interested in taking anything from anyone,” the Democratic candidate said this week during a campaign stop in Tyler, Texas. “What I want to make sure that we do is defend the Second Amendment.”
He added, “I want to make sure that we protect our fellow Texans far better than we’re doing right now. 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.”
Gubernatorial candidate Beto, meet presidential hopeful Beto.
In 2020, during the Democratic presidential primary, O’Rourke asserted unequivocally that, if given the chance and the authority, he would absolutely confiscate AR-15-style firearms.
“Hell yes,” an overconfident O’Rourke said to thunderous applause. “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.”
He kept up the refrain throughout his short-lived presidential candidacy.
“If someone does not turn in an AR-15, or an AK-47,” O’Rourke said during an appearance on CNN, “one of these weapons of war, or brings it out in public and brandishes it in an attempt to intimidate, as we saw in Kent State recently, then that weapon will be taken from them.”
He added, “If they persist, there will be other consequences from law enforcement.”
There’s more! Even after he flamed out of the presidential primary, O’Rourke kept at it, promising repeatedly that he’d work to confiscate “weapons of war” from lawful gun owners. In fact, in a statement announcing his gubernatorial candidacy, O’Rourke specifically revisited his confiscation pledge.
“Most of us understand the responsibility that comes with owning a firearm,” he told the Texas Tribune, adding that he had no plans to back down from his previously stated position, “and we will vigorously protect that Second Amendment right and also protect the lives of those around us.”
O’Rourke added, “But I think most of us also understand that we should not have military-style weapons used against our fellow Texans. We have four of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history right here in Texas that took place over the last five years.”
He said this in November 2021. It’s now a little more than a month into 2022, and he’s singing a different tune entirely. O’Rourke says he’s “not interested in taking anything from anyone.”
Which O’Rourke are we supposed to believe? The one who wanted to be president or the one who wants to be governor? Because they’re both telling very different stories.
