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Where Beto O’Rourke Stands on the Issues
Mr. O’Rourke arguably first made his name when, after the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016, he live-streamed the sit-in he and other Democratic representatives were holding on the House floor in support of stricter gun laws.
The Republican-controlled Congress did not pass any gun control legislation then, but Mr. O’Rourke continues to support similar policies, including universal background checks, magazine size limits and restrictions on some semiautomatic weapons.
He also opposes concealed carry reciprocity, which would make concealed carry permits granted in any state valid nationwide, forcing states with strict licensing requirements to recognize permits from states with looser standards. It is one of the National Rifle Association’s legislative priorities.
Where does Beto O'Rourke, the latest Democratic contender for president, stand on the issues?
O’Rourke has often bragged about having an “F” rating from the National Rifle Association. But he’s also said he supports Texas’ “proud and honorable tradition of responsible gun ownership for hunting, sport, self-defense and collecting.”
His policy positions likely put him within the Democratic mainstream.
He supports universal background checks. He pushed to ban bump stocks. He’s opposed concealed carry reciprocity. He wants to ban all AR-15-style rifles, saying that the gun was designed “to kill people as effectively and efficiently as possible on the battlefield.”
Beto O'Rourke talks gun control at Houston campaign events
During a pair campaign stops in Houston on Thursday, Democrat Beto O'Rourke jumped right into the middle of the gun regulation debate, saying he fully backs a call for universal background checks and a proposal to ban the sale of assault-style weapons.
"There is no reason that weapons of war should be sold to people in this country," O'Rourke told a rousing round of applause from supporters at a town hall meeting at the University of Houston on Thursday.
Hours earlier, he had a similar message at another town hall in the heart of Houston's East End. O'Rourke told that crowd that he is a co-sponsor on a bill that would ban the sale of weapons like the AR-15, which 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz used int the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., in February. An AR-15 was also used in 2012 in the mass killings of 27 -- mostly children -- at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.