After insisting American gun owners will “do the right thing” by turning in their firearms under his gun control plan, Beto O’Rourke said police will go door-to-door to confiscate AR-15s if people refuse to hand them over voluntarily.
“There have to be consequences,” the Texas Democrat said Wednesday after MSNBC host Joe Scarborough pressed him on how he would get AR-15s out of the hands of Americans unwilling to give them up. “In that case, I think there would be a visit by law enforcement to recover that firearm and to make sure that it is purchased, bought back, so that it cannot potentially be used against somebody else.”
The question came after Pete Buttigieg slammed the former El Paso congressman for his stance on gun control during Tuesday night’s Democratic primary debate. The South Bend, Indiana, mayor accused O’Rourke of having no plan for taking guns of the streets.
O’Rourke had previously stated that he believes “Americans will follow the law” but that there would be “consequences from law enforcement” if they don’t. However, he did not clarify until Wednesday that police officers would “visit” people to take their guns away.
During last month’s debate, O’Rourke said, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.” The comment was met with swift condemnation by Republicans and many Democrats who said it was tantamount to confiscation.
*story by The Washington Examiner