Texas Attorney General: Beto's Gun Confiscation Plan 'Doesn't Play Well' Here
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is not sure which Texans have been telling Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke they want to give up their guns, but they are not the ones he knows.
O’Rourke, a former congressman from El Paso, Texas, gave an enthusiastic push for so-called mandatory gun “buybacks” during the Democratic presidential debate in Houston last week.
“Hell yes, we are going to take your AR-15, AK-47,” O’Rourke said then.
On Friday, he said he spoke for much of Texas.
“But even from those Texans who own AR-15s, they’ve told me this themselves: ‘I don’t need this. I don’t need it to hunt. I don’t need it to protect myself. It was fun to use. I like taking it out to the range, but if giving this back or cutting it to pieces or selling it to the government helps to keep us safer, then, by all means, let’s do it,’” he said, according to The Hill.
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
Paxton, speaking Tuesday on the Fox News show “Fox & Friends” disagreed.
“I don’t think most Texans want to give up their guns,” Paxton said.
“It’s certainly a comment that I think most Texans would not react well to and haven’t reacted well to,” Paxton said. “Maybe it plays nationally in states he’s trying to win, but it certainly doesn’t play well in Texas.”
Paxton said the logic of a mandatory so-called “buyback” to take away guns escapes him.
“The reality is taking away guns from law-abiding citizens is not going to stop crazy people from using weapons to kill people,” he said.
Paxton said that an increase in protection is required to address concerns over the unpredictability of mass shootings.
“We need to do a better job securing our schools, our businesses, our churches. People need to be better prepared. We need more law enforcement involved in protecting those aspects of our society,” he said.
O’Rourke’s call for a mandatory gun “buyback” has also received a cold reception among some Democrats.
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said O’Rourke’s debate comments will hurt the cause of gun control, not help it, CNN reported.
“I frankly think that that clip will be played for years at Second Amendment rallies with organizations that try to scare people by saying, ‘Democrats are coming for your guns,’” he said.
“I’m a gun owner. My sons and I have gone skeet shooting and hunting and, frankly, I don’t think having our presidential candidates, like Congressman O’Rourke did, say that we’re going to try and take people’s guns against their will is wise either.”
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