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An AR-15 style rifle at Kahr Arms' Tommy Gun Warehouse on Kahr Ave., in Greeley, Penn., on Thursday, April 26, 2018. (Photo by Bryan Anselm/Redux For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Conservative Democratic US Senator Christopher Coons (D-Del.) is scared of the NRA.
Coons warned Friday that Beto O'Rourke's pledge during Thursday's Democratic debate in Houston that the government will confiscate semiautomatic AR-15 rifles will become a rallying cry for gun rights groups for years to come and haunt the Democratic Party far into the future.
O'Rourke received loud applause when 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 fellow Americans anymore.
"I frankly think that that clip will be played for years at Second Amendment rallies with organizations that try to scare people by saying that Democrats are coming for your guns," Coons, a close ally of former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic race, told CNN's Poppy Harlow in an interview.
"I am a gun owner. My sons and I have gone skeet shooting and hunting, and frankly I don't think having our presidential candidates, like Congressman O'Rourke did, say that we are trying to take people's guns against their will is a wise either policy or political move," Coons said.
O'Rourke fired back in a Friday afternoon tweet, suggesting that Coons had not done enough to push for effective gun control.
\u201cMuch respect to Sen. Coons for leading the fight on background checks. But the time for letting status quo politics determine how far we can go is over. If we agree that having millions of weapons of war on the streets is a bad idea, we have to do something about it.\u201d— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1568407760
O'Rourke is also selling t-shirts on his campaign website with the phrase "Hell Yes We're Going To Take Your AR-15" printed on them.
\u201cYay for Beto O\u2019Rourke about guns. Get that point across better. Enough with cowardly Democrats like Sen Chris Coons!\u201d— LauraWoof (@LauraWoof) 1568483475
\u201cDE Senator Chris Coons who endorsed Biden is calling Beto's mandatory buyback of AR-15 and AK-47's a bad idea. You will soon be seeing more cowardly Democratic politicians (afraid of the NRA's power) & their surrogates attacking Beto & his plan. #Beto2020 #DemDebate\u201d— jose lopez (@jose lopez) 1568466673
\u201cDemocratic Sen. Chris Coons frets over Beto upsetting the AK-47 crowd\n\n\u2066@SenCoonsOffice\u2069 could go to the Prayer Breakfast and just ask jesus what to do\n\n#Spineless #weak #RepublicanLite https://t.co/wTQcgLXDPO\u201d— Roxann Minerals (@Roxann Minerals) 1568485599
\u201c@thehill Has Sen.Coombs had to give emotional support and needed hugs following a mass slaughter somewhere in his home state? Beto had to,he understands! My bipolar daughter was a gun suicide. I understand too. I hope Sen. Coombs never has to face that.\ud83d\udd95\ud83d\udd95Sen.Coombs and his vote worries.\u201d— The Hill (@The Hill) 1568405404
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Conservative Democratic US Senator Christopher Coons (D-Del.) is scared of the NRA.
Coons warned Friday that Beto O'Rourke's pledge during Thursday's Democratic debate in Houston that the government will confiscate semiautomatic AR-15 rifles will become a rallying cry for gun rights groups for years to come and haunt the Democratic Party far into the future.
O'Rourke received loud applause when 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 fellow Americans anymore.
"I frankly think that that clip will be played for years at Second Amendment rallies with organizations that try to scare people by saying that Democrats are coming for your guns," Coons, a close ally of former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic race, told CNN's Poppy Harlow in an interview.
"I am a gun owner. My sons and I have gone skeet shooting and hunting, and frankly I don't think having our presidential candidates, like Congressman O'Rourke did, say that we are trying to take people's guns against their will is a wise either policy or political move," Coons said.
O'Rourke fired back in a Friday afternoon tweet, suggesting that Coons had not done enough to push for effective gun control.
\u201cMuch respect to Sen. Coons for leading the fight on background checks. But the time for letting status quo politics determine how far we can go is over. If we agree that having millions of weapons of war on the streets is a bad idea, we have to do something about it.\u201d— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1568407760
O'Rourke is also selling t-shirts on his campaign website with the phrase "Hell Yes We're Going To Take Your AR-15" printed on them.
\u201cYay for Beto O\u2019Rourke about guns. Get that point across better. Enough with cowardly Democrats like Sen Chris Coons!\u201d— LauraWoof (@LauraWoof) 1568483475
\u201cDE Senator Chris Coons who endorsed Biden is calling Beto's mandatory buyback of AR-15 and AK-47's a bad idea. You will soon be seeing more cowardly Democratic politicians (afraid of the NRA's power) & their surrogates attacking Beto & his plan. #Beto2020 #DemDebate\u201d— jose lopez (@jose lopez) 1568466673
\u201cDemocratic Sen. Chris Coons frets over Beto upsetting the AK-47 crowd\n\n\u2066@SenCoonsOffice\u2069 could go to the Prayer Breakfast and just ask jesus what to do\n\n#Spineless #weak #RepublicanLite https://t.co/wTQcgLXDPO\u201d— Roxann Minerals (@Roxann Minerals) 1568485599
\u201c@thehill Has Sen.Coombs had to give emotional support and needed hugs following a mass slaughter somewhere in his home state? Beto had to,he understands! My bipolar daughter was a gun suicide. I understand too. I hope Sen. Coombs never has to face that.\ud83d\udd95\ud83d\udd95Sen.Coombs and his vote worries.\u201d— The Hill (@The Hill) 1568405404
Conservative Democratic US Senator Christopher Coons (D-Del.) is scared of the NRA.
Coons warned Friday that Beto O'Rourke's pledge during Thursday's Democratic debate in Houston that the government will confiscate semiautomatic AR-15 rifles will become a rallying cry for gun rights groups for years to come and haunt the Democratic Party far into the future.
O'Rourke received loud applause when 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 fellow Americans anymore.
"I frankly think that that clip will be played for years at Second Amendment rallies with organizations that try to scare people by saying that Democrats are coming for your guns," Coons, a close ally of former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic race, told CNN's Poppy Harlow in an interview.
"I am a gun owner. My sons and I have gone skeet shooting and hunting, and frankly I don't think having our presidential candidates, like Congressman O'Rourke did, say that we are trying to take people's guns against their will is a wise either policy or political move," Coons said.
O'Rourke fired back in a Friday afternoon tweet, suggesting that Coons had not done enough to push for effective gun control.
\u201cMuch respect to Sen. Coons for leading the fight on background checks. But the time for letting status quo politics determine how far we can go is over. If we agree that having millions of weapons of war on the streets is a bad idea, we have to do something about it.\u201d— Beto O'Rourke (@Beto O'Rourke) 1568407760
O'Rourke is also selling t-shirts on his campaign website with the phrase "Hell Yes We're Going To Take Your AR-15" printed on them.
\u201cYay for Beto O\u2019Rourke about guns. Get that point across better. Enough with cowardly Democrats like Sen Chris Coons!\u201d— LauraWoof (@LauraWoof) 1568483475
\u201cDE Senator Chris Coons who endorsed Biden is calling Beto's mandatory buyback of AR-15 and AK-47's a bad idea. You will soon be seeing more cowardly Democratic politicians (afraid of the NRA's power) & their surrogates attacking Beto & his plan. #Beto2020 #DemDebate\u201d— jose lopez (@jose lopez) 1568466673
\u201cDemocratic Sen. Chris Coons frets over Beto upsetting the AK-47 crowd\n\n\u2066@SenCoonsOffice\u2069 could go to the Prayer Breakfast and just ask jesus what to do\n\n#Spineless #weak #RepublicanLite https://t.co/wTQcgLXDPO\u201d— Roxann Minerals (@Roxann Minerals) 1568485599
\u201c@thehill Has Sen.Coombs had to give emotional support and needed hugs following a mass slaughter somewhere in his home state? Beto had to,he understands! My bipolar daughter was a gun suicide. I understand too. I hope Sen. Coombs never has to face that.\ud83d\udd95\ud83d\udd95Sen.Coombs and his vote worries.\u201d— The Hill (@The Hill) 1568405404