Coming for your AR-15? O'Rourke scrambles Dems' gun message

[TexasTowelie]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Beto O’Rourke’s “hell yes” moment at the Democrats’ presidential debate is scrambling his party’s message on guns.

The Democrats have long contended their support of gun control laws does not mean they want to take away law-abiding citizens’ firearms. But on Friday, they struggled to square that message with their presidential contender’s full-throated call on national TV for confiscating assault rifles.

“Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47, and we’re not going to allow it to be used against your fellow Americans anymore,” the former Texas congressman declared during Thursday night’s debate.

O’Rourke’s hometown of El Paso was the site of a mass shooting last month that killed 22 people, and he has put the issue of gun violence at the center of his campaign effort. On Friday, his campaign hawked T-shirts emblazoned with his debate vow.

Read more: https://www.apnews.com/07f65423a9814f1b9279afd0fba0a50c

[PoliticAverse]

1. If you want to motivate republicans to show up and vote this is how to do it. n/t

[liskddksil]

3. They're already motivated to show up to vote. Stop worrying about the polls

and start changing the polls!

[NCLefty]

21. And they already say we're coming for the guns, even when we didn't.

They always say that, no matter what we do.

They said the NRA was at its pinnacle under Obama, because they kept flogging that message and getting donations from the gun addicts for it. Under Trump, their fundraising (and power, to some degree) collapsed, because no one thinks they're coming for the guns.

[Hoyt]

7. Only 30% or so of population are gunners. Maybe 20% are attracted to assault style

weapons. Most are racists. They are loyal trump supporters.

[dalton99a]

14. +1.

[J_William_Ryan]

19. That's not the point.

O'Rourke makes Democrats sound arrogant and authoritarian.

He makes Democrats seem to have contempt for private property and the rule of law, as what
O'Rourke advocates for could result in 4th Amendment violations.

And O'Rourke’s rhetoric makes Democrats seem extreme and unrealistic, as the notion of taking everyone’s AR 15 is unrealistic and ridiculous.

It’s the type of rhetoric that can turn-off weak Republicans, independent voters, and other swing voters – the very voters the Democratic candidate will need to win.

[Hoyt]

33. Lots of swing voters don't like their kids getting shot.

[Joe941]

35. Actually it is not ridiculous. It common sense.

[questionseverything]

28. that is not true at all

here in central Illinois many people are gun owners and are not repubs or racists

hunting and shooting are part of our heritage, it is more target than hunting now but the tradition remains strong

I grew up hearing how first hitler took the guns first...

[onetexan]

29. Theres a big difference between a hunting rifle and a semi-auto

Whose intended use is for military combat, not civilians. Those shpuld be off the streets.

[Hoyt]

32. Exactly. Anyone who needs a 30+ round magazine ain't hunting for food,

[questionseverything]

34. i do not have a gun but my sons are competitive shooters

and they say the reason the ar is so popular is no kick back that other older weapons have

they support smaller mags btw, limit mags to 10 bullets instead of 30

[McCamy Taylor]

20. GOP always turns out in larger percentages than Dems.

Do not fear the NRA. They are just merchants of death.

[JoeOtterbein]

2. Hell yes he did!

Loved it! Keep up the good fight Beto!

[Hoyt]

8. +1. Even if it hurts us a little, it was worth it.

[Blue_true]

4. He just gave other candidates a chance to intelligently point out how they would

handle guns in society. I see opportunity, not scrambling of a message (and you assume that there is even universal agreement among democrats, an assumption that is surely wrong).

[aikoaiko]

5. This is a big problem for us.

[Hoyt]

9. And gunners.

[liskddksil]

10. Their time is up and that's just too bad for them

They had their chance for 30 years to come to the table and get stuff done. They didn't. They are now irrelevant.

[Beartracks]

30. 2A activists are certainly not irrelevant. However...

... I do understand that the NRA may be waning. But we should not assume it's dead yet.

======

[TexasTowelie]

16. And it can also be a big asset for us.

57% are for banning the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons and 45% are for creating a buyback program.

https://www.npr.org/2019/09/10/759193047/poll-most-americans-want-to-see-congress-pass-gun-restrictions

I suspect that some of the people that are against creating a buyback program actually favor having no buyback program and destroying the weapons instead since I've seen that sentiment expressed elsewhere.

[KT2000]

27. I really don't think so

it is an opportunity to get the story out about why these things need to be taken out of society.
Doctors who treat the wounds from these weapons have been saying for years how awful the wounds are. If we get doctors and the real pics and X-rays of the damage, it will make the case.

The velocity of the bullets creates waves that encircle the path of the bullet for inches around. The waves are cavitations that mean the tissue has been pulverized. When organs are hit, they are destroyed, when arteries are hit, they cannot be repaired. Death is the goal because it is a weapon of war and that is what happens.
The exit wound from these bullets is the size of an orange or softball.

This has to end and Dems need to tell the truth.

[liskddksil]

6. Come on Democrats. Stop being scared of Republicans and the NRA and start being strong!

The American people are on are side. 52% already support mandatory buyback and that will grow every-day as more and more of the students who's daily reality is mass-shooting drills and fear of being shot in their school, turn voting age. The NRA's sun is setting and we're taking back our country.

[Bleacher Creature]

11. Oh no!! We're going to lose people who would never vote for a Democrat in the first place!!!

What will we do???

[liskddksil]

12. I know. And a position we have majority support nationwide for already (52% as of last week) nt

[dalton99a]

22. +1

[Iliyah]

13. As a mother with

kids in school, I worry. Why, because since Sandy Hook, they do not care.

I think most of the country is with Beto. But because of EC, the corporate media, and the hateful Republican party, with foreign ties, we need to come out in full force.

Turn Texas Blue, AZ, and NM.

[McCamy Taylor]

15. He took a principled stance rather than a political stance. "Imagine" that.

This is why I said he is no longer running for president. He is now running for civil rights leader. Did you see the way the other candidates kissed his ring? They do not see him as competition. They see him as a symbol.

He should ask Yoko if he can use the song "Imagine" in his rallies.

[liskddksil]

17. Even David Jolly (Republican) agrees that this is sound strategy

https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/watch/beto-s-big-moment-on-guns-68906053968

[TexasTowelie]

18. +1

[dalton99a]

23. Excellent point.

[Beartracks]

31. Intriguing thought. n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

24. Maybe so, but good for him! It's long past time!

I mean, what does it take?? Beto experienced this up close and personal - he knows how those affected personally feel. When it happened in New Zealand there was definitive action overnight - here, as we have said so often, we only get "thoughts and prayers!" This is the message so many have been waiting for - the majority of Americans, and that includes many gun owners, favor stricter gun regulations in this country.

[TexasTowelie]

25. Beto is hitting it out of the park on this issue.

The fact that the other Democrats are having to scramble to keep up with him is a good thing. Just as Bernie pushed the Democratic Party to the left on income inequality and health care in the previous primary, Beto is pushing Democrats to the left on the issues of gun violence and immigration.

FWIW, I saw a Beto sign from the 2018 Senate campaign hanging on a neighbor's patio in my new apartment complex. I'll have to make some time to meet the neighbors when it cools down here in the few weeks.

[Rhiannon12866]

26. This is the message so many Americans have been waiting for

Parents who are afraid to send their kids to school, people who are now afraid to go to the movies or shopping - it can and has happened everywhere, in schools, theaters, concerts, in churches and synagogues! Do Americans need to be afraid to go outside? This is a powerful message that will resonate with the majority - we already know that the majority of Americans support stricter gun control, it's been their representatives who have been dragging their feet!

And it's good to hear that you have like-minded neighbors there. It boggles the mind that Beto wouldn't be the front runner in his home state - but this is a message that will resonate everywhere!

[Joe941]

36. In fact semi auto hand guns should be added to the list.

When ar15s and ak47s are gone we will still have semi auto hand sungs with 30 rounds.