GARY, Ind.–Getting rid of AR-15s and AK-47s by buying them back, is a focus of Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign. The Democrat candidate told a crowd in Gary, Monday afternoon that the weapons are meant for war, and blamed the fear of immigrants for the mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart.
“The killer before posted a manifesto, reflecting the words of Pres. Trump, warning of an invasion that he was going to repel in that Walmart,” said O’Rourke, who came to Gary from Chicago, where he participated in a roundtable discussion on gun violence.
He compared his hometown of El Paso and Gary, saying he believes the murder rate is lower in El Paso because the community is made up of Mexican-Americans, the offspring and descendants of immigrants.
He, as he has before in debates, said he believes if he’s elected president, the government will buy back military-style rifles.
“When we wrote the 2nd Amendment, it took three minutes to reload a musket. It took three minutes in 2019, to kill 22 people with an AK-47, a weapon designed for war.”
O’Rourke said he will push for universal background checks, red flag laws, a registry for all firearms, and ending the sale of “weapons of war”, in addition to the gun buy backs.
He said he believes getting rid of or cutting down on gun violence will free people to pursue health care for all and stopping climate change. He said he believes humans must end dependence on fossil fuels in the next ten years.
PHOTO: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
