Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke has shifted his position on AR-15s, again.
As Fox News first pointed out, a section on the Democrat’s campaign website about “gun safety” and AR-15s has been “quietly” changed.
“I’m proud of Texas’ long tradition of responsible gun ownership. Like millions of Texans, my family taught me how to safely and responsibly use firearms—and I passed those teachings onto my own children,” the page reads.
It continued, “To uphold that tradition, we must change how easy it is for people to use firearms irresponsibly in this state. Over 4,000 Texans are killed by gun violence every year. Women in Texas are 24 percent more likely to be murdered with a gun than women in other states. And four of the worst mass shootings in American history have taken place right here in Texas in just the past decade.”
The section goes on to address AR-15s and AK-47s:
“While it might not be the easy or politically safe thing to say, I don’t believe any civilian should own an AR-15 or AK-47. When a gunman drove to a Walmart in my hometown of El Paso and managed to kill nearly two dozen of my neighbors with an AK-47 in under three minutes, it made it all too clear to me that it is far too easy for Texans to get their hands on weapons of war that are designed specifically to kill people in masses in as little time as possible.”
According to The Internet Archives’ Wayback Machine, that section has been changed relatively recently.
As of April 1, that section stated, “While it might not be the easy or politically safe thing to say, I strongly believe that we need to reduce the number of AR-15s and AK-47s on our streets.”
Over the years, O’Rourke has had a few different positions on guns.
In 2018, while he was running for Senate, he said, “We support the Second Amendment, if you own a gun keep that gun…No one wants to take it away from you, at least I don’t.”
When he was running for president in 2019, he declared, “Hell, yes, 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 added as he spoke about his proposed mandatory gun buy-back program.
Watch the moment below:
In February, O’Rourke was asked about his gun stance amid his run for governor.
“I’m not interested in taking anything from anyone. What I want to make sure that we do is defend the Second Amendment,” he said.
O’Rourke 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.”
