Beto O'Rourke stands his ground on gun control ahead of Texas gubernatorial race

Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke infuriated second amendment advocates on Sunday when he told CNN’s “State of the Union” that he stands by his controversial 2019 comment that “we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.”  

“Look, we are a state that has a long, proud tradition of responsible gun ownership,” O’Rourke told Dana Bash. “Most of us here in Texas do not want to see our friends, our family members, our neighbors shot up with these weapons of war. So, yes, I still hold this view.”

The gubernatorial candidate, who lost his 2018 senate bid to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz, continued to tell Bash that Texans have expressed concern about the bill Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law that allows concealed carry without a permit across Texas.  

“We don’t want extremism in our gun laws. We want to protect the Second Amendment. We want to protect the lives of our fellow Texans. And I know that when we come together and stop this divisive extremism that we see from Greg Abbott right now, we're going to be able to do that,” he said.

During his failed Democratic presidential nomination bid, O’Rourke blamed Congress for not passing stricter gun-control measures, saying he supported mandatory buybacks of assault-style rifles.

O’Rourke launched his gubernatorial campaign last week, but promised he would focus on Texas and not on Washington politics – although he did blast President Biden’s lack of “urgency” on immigration reform.

“This campaign in Texas is not going to be about Joe Biden. It’s not going to be about Donald Trump. It’s not going to be about anyone from outside of our state,” O’Rourke noted.

“This is going to be about the people of Texas and what the people of Texas want,” he continued. “And I have told you, they want the big things, like jobs, great schools, and making sure everyone can see a doctor. But they also want to see some competence in their government."