Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke speaks during the Democratic Presidential Debate at Texas Southern University's Health and PE Center on September 12, 2019 in Houston. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Sep 13, 2019
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke was on the receiving end of a death threat Thursday night after the former Texas congressman said he would confiscate assault rifles if elected during the primary debate in Houston, a position he reaffirmed Friday.
The threat came from Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain, who, in a now-deleted tweet, said that his AR-15 was "ready" for O'Rourke.
"This is a death threat, Representative," O'Rourke said in reply. "Clearly, you shouldn't own an AR-15--and neither should anyone else."
\u201cThis is a death threat, Representative. Clearly, you shouldn't own an AR-15\u2014and neither should anyone else.\u201d— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1568347350
The offending--to Cain and other Republicans--comments from O'Rourke came during a debate discussion on gun violence that centered on two deadly mass shootings in Texas during the month of August, in O'Rourke's native El Paso on August 3 and in Midlands and Odessa on August 31.
"Hell yeah, we're going to take your AR-15 and your AK-47," O'Rourke said. "We're not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore. If it's a weapon that was designed to kill people on the battlefield, we're going to buy it back."
The tweet toward O'Rourke wasn't the first threat of violence from Cain on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Cain tweeted he wished he could cut safety lines holding debate protesters off a bridge in Houston ahead of the debate.
O'Rouke's campaign toldCNN early on Friday that they would report the threat to the F.B.I.
On MSNBC Friday, O'Rourke continued pushing for an assault rifle ban and buyback program, telling "Morning Joe" reporter Willie Geist that the proposal would not be a "vountary" program where gun-owners have the option of whether or not to turn over their weapons.
"I want to make sure that we make the distinction here," said O'Rourke. "It is mandatory. It will be the law. You will required to comply."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke was on the receiving end of a death threat Thursday night after the former Texas congressman said he would confiscate assault rifles if elected during the primary debate in Houston, a position he reaffirmed Friday.
The threat came from Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain, who, in a now-deleted tweet, said that his AR-15 was "ready" for O'Rourke.
"This is a death threat, Representative," O'Rourke said in reply. "Clearly, you shouldn't own an AR-15--and neither should anyone else."
\u201cThis is a death threat, Representative. Clearly, you shouldn't own an AR-15\u2014and neither should anyone else.\u201d— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1568347350
The offending--to Cain and other Republicans--comments from O'Rourke came during a debate discussion on gun violence that centered on two deadly mass shootings in Texas during the month of August, in O'Rourke's native El Paso on August 3 and in Midlands and Odessa on August 31.
"Hell yeah, we're going to take your AR-15 and your AK-47," O'Rourke said. "We're not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore. If it's a weapon that was designed to kill people on the battlefield, we're going to buy it back."
The tweet toward O'Rourke wasn't the first threat of violence from Cain on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Cain tweeted he wished he could cut safety lines holding debate protesters off a bridge in Houston ahead of the debate.
O'Rouke's campaign toldCNN early on Friday that they would report the threat to the F.B.I.
On MSNBC Friday, O'Rourke continued pushing for an assault rifle ban and buyback program, telling "Morning Joe" reporter Willie Geist that the proposal would not be a "vountary" program where gun-owners have the option of whether or not to turn over their weapons.
"I want to make sure that we make the distinction here," said O'Rourke. "It is mandatory. It will be the law. You will required to comply."
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke was on the receiving end of a death threat Thursday night after the former Texas congressman said he would confiscate assault rifles if elected during the primary debate in Houston, a position he reaffirmed Friday.
The threat came from Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain, who, in a now-deleted tweet, said that his AR-15 was "ready" for O'Rourke.
"This is a death threat, Representative," O'Rourke said in reply. "Clearly, you shouldn't own an AR-15--and neither should anyone else."
\u201cThis is a death threat, Representative. Clearly, you shouldn't own an AR-15\u2014and neither should anyone else.\u201d— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1568347350
The offending--to Cain and other Republicans--comments from O'Rourke came during a debate discussion on gun violence that centered on two deadly mass shootings in Texas during the month of August, in O'Rourke's native El Paso on August 3 and in Midlands and Odessa on August 31.
"Hell yeah, we're going to take your AR-15 and your AK-47," O'Rourke said. "We're not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore. If it's a weapon that was designed to kill people on the battlefield, we're going to buy it back."
The tweet toward O'Rourke wasn't the first threat of violence from Cain on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Cain tweeted he wished he could cut safety lines holding debate protesters off a bridge in Houston ahead of the debate.
O'Rouke's campaign toldCNN early on Friday that they would report the threat to the F.B.I.
On MSNBC Friday, O'Rourke continued pushing for an assault rifle ban and buyback program, telling "Morning Joe" reporter Willie Geist that the proposal would not be a "vountary" program where gun-owners have the option of whether or not to turn over their weapons.
"I want to make sure that we make the distinction here," said O'Rourke. "It is mandatory. It will be the law. You will required to comply."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.