Robert Francis O’Rourke once told Americans, “He** yeah, we’re going to take your” guns when running for president in 2020. He listed off numerous types of firearms that do seem to trigger certain political beliefs, such as AR-15s and AK-47s.
O’Rourke invoked a fear of certain weapons, such as the AR-15, because many believe incorrectly that the “AR” in the name stands for “assault rifle.” This actually stand for the manufacturer ArmaLite Rifle, and it’s been manufactured since the 1950s. (The AK in AK-47 stands for Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947. The rifle is made in Russia.)
The slaughter of innocent children in Uvalde, Texas has brought a political onslaught as the shooter utilized an AR-15 to carry out the shooting. Democrats – and many Americans – are calling for a ban on the AR-15.
Beto O’Rourke is running for governor of Texas, and many are saying that his actions on Wednesday night could be highly detrimental to the future of his campaign. O’Rourke showed up at press conference held in Uvalde where Governor Abbott was speaking. Also in attendance was Senator Ted Cruz and the mayor of Uvalde.
Reports hold that O’Rourke was not inside the building at the beginning of the conference. A witness said that two people left their chairs as the presser began, with O’Rourke coming in and taking the seats left vacant. O’Rourke would soon march to the front of the audience and “confront” Gov. Abbott. “This is on you.” O’Rourke added, “You are doing nothing. You are offering up nothing. You said this was not predictable. This was totally unpredictable when you choose not to do anything.”
Senator Ted Cruz would be the first to tell O’Rourke to stop. Cruz can be heard saying, “Sit down and don’t play this stunt.” O’Rourke ran against Ted Cruz in 2018 for Cruz’ current Senate seat.
Next to chide O’Rourke was Lt. Governor Dan Patrick: “(You’re) out of line and an embarrassment.” However, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin quickly called for security to remove O’Rourke from the presser, where several of the community of Uvalde had come to hear Governor Abbott speak: “I can’t believe that you’re a sick s** of a b**** that would come to a deal like this to make a political issue.”
O’Rourke may have left with security, but he wasn’t finished. He turned back and told Goveror Abbott: “This is on you until you choose to do something different. This will continue to happen. Somebody needs to stand up for the children of this state or they will continue to be killed just like they were killed in Uvalde yesterday.”
Once O’Rourke was removed, however, Gov. Abbott called for unity among his constituents. Greg Abbott related that the family members were in attendance, and that they were upset by the scene. Abbott told O’Rourke: “There’s no words that anybody shouting can come up here and do anything to heal these broken hearts.”
Currently, the country is divided over the debate for or against gun control. Conservatives feel that those on the Left are taking advantage of a tragedy, while those on the Left claim that Conservatives bow to the gun lobby and have no plan to prevent tragedies like that in Uvalde.
