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Beto O'Rourke stands by mandatory buybacks for AR-15s, assault weapons as he seeks Texas governorship
Fox News
Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke, D., said he is not backing off his controversial call to require buybacks of “assault weapons” as he mounts his latest campaign.
"Most of us understand the responsibility that comes with owning a firearm, and we will vigorously protect that Second Amendment right and also protect the lives of those around us," he told The Texas Tribune, calling them weapons designed for the battlefield. "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."
This will be the first time O'Rourke takes that stance directly to Texas voters as he hopes to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott R., an avid Second Amendment supporter. In 2018, when he burst onto the national scene with his challenge of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, O'Rourke opposed gun confiscation.