Beto O'Rourke gun confiscation ar-15
Democratic presidential candidate former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The quote of the day is presented by Guns.com

Unpaid Democrat party mouthpiece Chris Cillizza is back, fretting again about the effect Robert Francis O’Rourke’s fire-breathing gun confiscation advocacy is having on Congressional Democrats’ efforts to lure Trump and Republicans into a potentially fatal bargain on gun control about a year from the election.

The fact that Cillizza is hitting this point again so hard is evidence in and of itself that Dems in the House and Senate see Beto’s gun-grabbing crusade as a threat to getting anything passed or signed by the President.

That [I’m coming for your guns] stance is winning O’Rourke plaudits among liberals who had been waiting (and waiting) for the former Texas congressman to show some of the flashes that made him a national phenomenon in his 2018 Senate bid. Suddenly, O’Rourke, who looked dead in the water heading into last Thursday’s debate in Houston, now has a spark. And he’s not going to let that go for anything — especially scoldings from Senate Democrats like Schumer.

But, the politics of what’s good for O’Rourke’s presidential hopes don’t align terribly well with congressional Democrats’ goal of using the latest series of mass shootings to get something done on expanding background checks. Or passing any sort of further gun control measures.

For decades, Republican lawmakers — fueled by the National Rifle Association — have effectively cast the gun control debate in the starkest of possible terms: Give an inch to Democrats on their desire for what they call common sense gun safety measures and you are priming the pump for a day when the government will come and confiscate your weapons. See, the theory goes, all Democratic politicians want to come take your guns but they won’t come out and say it. But, give them power and just watch what happens.

It’s these inaccurate scare tactics that led to surges in gun purchases immediately following Barack Obama’s victories in 2008 and 2012. During the 2016 campaign, Republicans seized on Hillary Clinton’s expressed interest in an Australian buyback program as evidence of her secret intentions. “Of course Hillary does not support national mandatory gun buyback programs, including those modeled after Australia’s program,” a Clinton spokesman told PolitiFact.

Now, the NRA has O’Rourke’s “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47” line during the debate to hang its ominous warnings on. And Senate Republicans — and the Trump White House — have it as a ready-made excuse for not acting on proposals that large swaths of the public support.

– Chris Cillizza in Is Beto O’Rourke single-handedly dooming a gun control bill?

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68 COMMENTS

  1. Beto and his rhetoric is the best thing that has happened for our cause in a long time. I believe that he will motivate otherwise apathetic conservative voters.

    • If Trump doesn’t Eff up and make a deal with the Marxist Leftards,he has with the help of Bobby Betoff boy assured himself reelection.

    • “motivate otherwise apathetic conservative voters.”

      ****
      Agreed. On a scale of 1 (anti-2A) to 10 (pro-2A), with a FUDD being a 5, I think even a move only a single point up the scale by previously apathetic voters is good.

      One of my longtime friends – who was born and raised in CA – recently moved to TX earlier this year. He served in the Army when in his 20s, but didn’t fire a gun again for more than 30 years until I took him to the desert a few months ago to have fun with all flavors of guns. He’s still a FUDD and have never been against guns, but never saw the need for anyone to own one until recently, and mentioned he’s looking into getting a shotgun and pistol to start training. Baby steps, but in the right direction.

  2. Beto is a joke, he does not even hold an office anymore and his crowd size looks less than 200 and the only thing he is running on is what he’s going to take from us? Nah, it will be aTrump probably for the next 13 years

  4. I disagree with the article. The Republicans rather are aware that if they do nothing that Beto and or the Democrats gain a powerful political persuasion to the people in the next election. The Republicans already have a bad reputation as the party of “NO” which is totally resistant to any change even it it means saving lives. Most people are aware that they are paid prostitutes of the NRA as well. The pressure right now is overwhelming and Trump deep down inside has always been mostly anti-gun he only has hesitated to support gun bans because of his radical ignorant back woods base. If by some miracle he would be re-elected he would do a 180 degree turn on gun bans because he would not be running for re-election because of the two term limit. I think whether the Dems get in or Trump stays in the U.S. in 2020 is in for catastrophic gun bans the likes that the country has never seen before in its entire history. Its coming one way or another and no court in its right mind would go against public opinion and paranoia and overturn any gun ban laws. It just is not going to happen.

    • “radical ignorant backwoods base”…

      As opposed to all those reasonable, urban elitist thinkers out there?
      Here’s a nice, heart f-ck you in reply, Quisling.

      • “Here’s a nice, heart f-ck you in reply, Quisling.”

        Arent you even a little bit worried you might hurt my feelings? I insult you and I ridicule you and I lie to you and these are the thanks I get?

        • We’re not worried about hurting the real VT’s feelings. You, on the other hand…well, just keep doing what you’re doing and have fun with it. We don’t mind.

      • I thought Vlad disappeared, glad to know he is still around. #feedingthetroll

        Just out of curiosity Vlad, if republicans are the party of no, what are the democrats?

        • The democrats are and always have been the party of bigotry and hatred we use fear tactics and slander to manipulate voters isnt that obvious?

        • I did not disappear I have been really busy running and hiding. Didnt you hear about the 200 online sex predators as what got arrested in Ohio last week?

      • Tell me JWM do you do drugs often? It would seem so from your bizarre fantasy posts. Probably an old habit you could not kick since you inhaled opium out of gun barrels in Vietnam.

        • Vlad, I suggest you go a little easier on the hallucinogens. How can you support such a heavy drug use habit on what little Soros pays you?

        • Fake Me,

          You would be amazed at how often I “find” credit cards and coin collections when I visit my relatives.

    • What makes you so sure Donald Trump will have a 2 term limit?

      It would be worth it to me to see thousands of liberal morons like you self combust.

      • To Herr Hauptman Von Schmitto.
        quote——————What makes you so sure Donald Trump will have a 2 term limit?

        It would be worth it to me to see thousands of liberal morons like you self combust.—————————-quote

        Sieg Heil! Herr Hauptman Von Schmitto. Yes Hitler also appointed himself for life after destroying any semblance of democracy in Germany. My old man delighted in killing Nazi’s in WWII and he made sure remnants of Hitlers entourage like you would never take over our government. Sorry, Herr Donald Drumpf will not be serving a second term let alone a permanent one. Sorry no gas chambers for everyone not blond , blued eyed and Anglo Saxon Protestant. Go back to Germany the Far Right is in need of people like you as the majority of modern day Germans loath and detest the Far Right so they are having a shortage of recruits for future storm troopers.

        • I am so impressed with how witty and clever I am as my poisonous bile flows from my keyboard and if my father ever finds out it is me posting this filth I am going to be in big trouble.

    • Sorry, but I don’t know the full history of Vlad here on ttag so this may be a dumb question. Vlad, do you possess firearms? Also, do you advocate any condition under which private citizens may keep and bear? I would ask why you comment here, but the answer could be as simple as you enjoy the sport.

  5. “Democrats See Beto’s Confiscation Plans as a Threat to Getting the GOP to Agree to Gun Control”

    That is just about the dumbest twist of logic I have ever heard. It will do just the opposite.

    Further, the confiscation plan would violate the 2nd Amendment and just about every SCOTUS ruling regarding firearms.

    They’d have to repeal the 2nd Amendment, all of the equivelants to it in State constitutions, effectively “pack” the Supreme Court (just because a justice is appointed doesn’t mean that the new justice gets to participate – SCOTUS makes it’s own rules) and overcome us as we fight to preserve our inalienable natural right to keep and bear arms.

    If Republicans participate, what they’ve agreed to is a suicide pact.

  6. He just says what Chucky Schumer and the rest of the Democrats are thinking. They want him to shut up because he is harming their long-term incrementalism approach to destroying the Second Amendment. Don’t forget Justice Stevens wanted to redefine the Second Amendment as a collective right, essentially removing it from the Bill of Rights.

    • Yup. Long and slow to bake their agenda in American’s minds. We need people like him and Swalwell making the Antis look bad in the eyes of moderate voters.

      • If none of the candidates get a clear majority at the polls, the DNC can pick whoever they want at the convention.

        And it would be awesome if they picked a Beto/Mayor Buggeree ticket.

        • “DNC has already selected Fauxcahontas,…”

          Eh, the money driving the DNC is still backing Biden.

          I hope they can keep him. Trump will filet him in the debates.

          Lizzy (Borden) ‘Fauxcahontas’ is smart enough to know she will have to play the part of a reasonable leader and suddenly get all centrist on guns, like ‘only’ going after BG checks, which will morph into balls-out gun control if she’s elected.

          How do the current polls look as to who will control the House? If we retake it, that stops everything on their ‘dream list’ *cold*…

  9. “It’s these inaccurate scare tactics that led to surges in gun purchases…”

    Seems to me like those “scare tactics” were pretty much on target. I expect we’ve all heard Pelosi’s “turn them all in” comments, etc., so it really isn’t a surprise. I think, though, that thanks to the news cycle and social media, this attitude on the part of the Left is now much more broadly appreciated (heh) and acknowledged. Actually, I’m kind of grateful to Mr. O’Rorque for the clarifying moment.

    • “…“turn them all in” comments…”

      Feinstein, actually. But I sure hope that video clip goes into *every* attack ad we launch at the DNC.

      A ‘Greatest Hits’ clip of her, Swallowell, and ‘Beta Boy’ calling for confiscation would be quite effective in Trump country…

  10. I think the democrats are more upset at Beta for saying what they (the whole party) really think. It has been said that if the democrats were truly honest about their intentions, they’d NEVER be elected. Thanks, Beta.

  11. “Democrats See Beto’s Confiscation Plans as a Threat to Getting the GOP to Agree to Gun Control”

    Perhaps, but what really has them upset is that beto spilled the beans and revealed their plans…

  13. Beto got caught with his pants down around his ankles and he will never get that one back. There’s a reason that shooter went to El Paso, Beto has been pumping his bulshit out for years and somebody heard him, and they challenged him and won. He cannot and never will be able to protect anything or anyone. Kind of reminds me of another President we had.

  14. The Beta Boy’s declaration has been the one important thing he has ever done as a politician and I’m grateful that he voiced the demrat’s position so clearly and publicly. He single handedly may have stopped the curtailment of our 2nd Amendment rights this election cycle.

  15. Kamala Harris said that she would ban so -called assault rifles if she would be elected . No different than O’Rourke.

  17. I still believe that Progressives are paying Robert O’Rourke to move the Overton Window on civilian disarmament (e.g. gun control).

    • That will be the effect but I don’t think Bob is sly enough to be doing that. He was looking for the immediate gratification, easy applause line.

      • I don’t think he’s all that sly either. In fact, I completely fail to understand the limited appeal he seems to have. Seriously, what the hell do people see in that guy?

  18. Its still a long, long way to go before the Dems pick their candidate. I think Bernie Sanders as President with Elizabeth Warren as Vice President or vise-versa would make an unbeatable combination with a landslide victory reminiscent of the Gold Water Debacle. All we need now is for the Dems to present a political add showing a little girl picking flowers and then a nuclear bomb coming down on her. It devastated Goldwater’s chances and would do the same to Trump only this time we have the internet and shutting down that add would be way more difficult and the Libs who run Social Media would drag their feet for weeks or maybe allow it to run until election day. Yes it would be glorious and a perfect counter weapon to Herr Drumpfs gang of Russian spies that will be running his election campaign. Are you reading this Comrade Moscow Mitch McConnell???

    • If Warren gets the nomination, no way she chooses Bernie as VP (she’ll just seek his endorsement). Their agendas are too similar. Candidates choose VPs that are different from themselves in order to appeal to a larger electorate.

    • “I think Bernie Sanders as President with Elizabeth Warren as Vice President or vise-versa would make an unbeatable combination ”

      Please dont tell the Hairy Kameltow I posted that I still want to be co-president with her and live together in the White House with her for ever and ever.

  20. The thing about the Beto “Hell, yes” dustup that has me confused is how so many people are acting as if this is a shift in the DNC party line – they’ve been telling us this for years. Feinstein, McCarthy, Pelosi, Schumer, Swalwel and a cast of hundreds have been telling us for years that they want our “weapons of war”. Beto was just dumb enough to name actual gun types and not use the euphemism “assault weapons”.

    For years, there have been people, even within the proportion of the population that is not a gun control freak, who have thought that “assault weapons” and “weapons of war” were full-auto machine guns. All Beto is doing is clearing up some confusion and telling people what he actually means – this is why he is not a very successful politician.

    • Agreed. For example, my ARs are all configured to avoid even CA’s stringent classification of “assault weapon”, so they’re not AWs by anyone’s definition. Many gun owners (even Fudds) here in CA have ARs like this.

      They are, however, AR-15s by specific name and type, so what Beto has done is use more direct language that makes more conservative ears prick up in response.

      Dems: “We’re want to ban assault weapons of war”

      CA Gun Owners: “I don’t agree, but I don’t own an assault weapon of war, so what’s on TV tonight?”

      Dems: “Hell yes we’re going to take your AR-15s…”

      CA Gun Owners: “Wait a minute…my CA compliant bolt-action AR isn’t an assault weapon. Now you want to take it? Let me put the original semi-auto BCG back in, then…”

  22. I think no matter what the Republicans do most of the national Democrats want confiscation and will seek it. If they get in power and try it SCOTUS will shoot it down. BE Bop is from Texas so believes you get more flies with horse manure than honey. From the look on his face, he spends more time with horse manure than honey. He and Dianne Feinstein.

  23. The “Thin Veiled Curtain” of what the DNC really wants, a Disarmed Citizenry, is now to torn and tattered for them to draw that curtain again. The gloves are off. It’s a good thing because Culo O’Dork, in his “Shite In His Pants and Blame the Smell On Someone Else” fashion, has shown the moderates the True Face of the DNC. The fact that all the other Nominee Wannabes quickly voiced similar sentiments really has been amusing to watch. The scrabble to Out-Left each other is just like a SNL skit. The only real scary part is that they’re still going at it, and none of the wannabes are intelligent enough to notice how extremely Left they’ve allowed their campaigns to drift. That they’re effectively handing 2020 to the GOP with their increasing radicalism is lost on the wannabes.
    To quote a line from a favorite movie of mine, ” Don’t Piss Down My Back and Tell Me It’s Raining.” That is exactly what the DNC’s A-Team of Democrat Presidential Wannabe’s is doing, each and every time they open their mouths.

  24. Go ahead, Democrats. Dig your own grave. Every time outright bans or confiscation have been on a ballot, they have lost 60/40. In politics, that’s called a landslide.

  25. This was in interesting article, in that I misinterpreted the headline, and could not find narrative to support my misunderstanding.

    At first, the headline seemed to indicate that the anti-gun mob saw the gun grabbing words of a candidate for the Leftist presidential primary to be a great tool to lever the pro-2A defenders into accepting gun control that was not so extreme as “we’re coming to get all your guns.” Then, it became more clear that the headline was highlighting that Dimwitocrats were/are fearing that taking the mask off the anti-gun intention was a danger/threat to Dimwitocrat chances in the general election.

    Embarrassed to be confused by me.

  26. No way the GOP should agree to any sort of Gun Control other than proposals that specify speedy prosecution of armed criminals. By the way, I note that this sort of Gun Control never seems to cross the attention of the Gun Control Lobby and its members, Democrat or Republican, who seem intent on harassing the law abiding citizen, who chooses to exercise their constitutional rights. How come this, I wonder.

  28. Robert Francis has done for the pro gun side what mass shooting have done for the anti gun side. Finally the truth comes out about what the plan has been all along. Maybe it will wake up a few people.

  29. The doublespeak in that article is appalling. “Gah, these Republicans erroneously make it seem like fair-minded politicians are trying to implement gun-confiscation. They even use some this to speak ill of Hillary’s Australian-style buyback plan.” Which was, drum roll, a literal, actual gun buyback plan.

    How dare Republicans accurately describe someone’s draconian plan? Don’t they know that harms the draconian plan?

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