Former Texas Congressman Robert “Beto” O’Rourke formally ended his campaign for president at the end of October, and the heartland of the country doesn’t seem to be shedding a single tear.
O’Rourke, who just last year also ran to replace incumbent Texas Senator Ted Cruz, perceived to be among the most conservative lawmakers in Washington, ran on an explicitly anti-Second Amendment platform. After his initial publicity bump, Beto quickly slumped in the polls, causing him to take more militant positions to remain relevant with the Democratic Party’s far-left voter base.
Well, that approach didn’t work out terribly well. As his campaign went on, Beto became more and more focused on gun control, while his Democratic rivals quickly outshined him. At the time of writing, former Vice President Joe Biden still appears to be the inevitable choice for the Democratic Party’s nomination. And while we don’t really have a whole lot of nice things to say about the former VP either, we give him props for not basing his entire campaign on eliminating a constitutional right.
Of course, when news of Beto’s drop out went public, the National Rifle Association was happy to chime in.
“Beto O’Rourke has dropped out of the 2020 presidential race. That makes it two failed campaigns in one year!” the NRA tweeted. “Let this be a lesson: Running on destroying the Second Amendment and stripping Americans of their firearms is never a good idea. #ByeBeto.”
The “hell yes” part of the tweet is a reference to Beto’s infamous answer on his gun control stance, where he indicated support for using law enforcement to forcibly remove legally-purchased AR-15-style rifles from American homes.
“Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47,” O’Rourke said on the debate stage. “We’re not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore.”
Like many his party, O’Rourke routinely casts blame on the Second Amendment for the number of mass shootings that typically take place in disarmed areas, such as schools. Gun control has become a particularly hot topic since 2018, with high profile mass killings taking place in Florida and Texas. Florida has since passed legislation allowing trained and willing teachers to bring concealed firearms to work.
Let’s be clear about this: the Second Amendment isn’t safe just because it’s most vocal critic is no longer running for president. But, it does show exactly what happens when you essentially define your politics as being opposed to one of the most sacred rights Americans have.
