A new survey appears to support Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s push for a mandatory buyback of semi-automatic weapons such as AR-15s and AK-47s, among the most popular guns in the world.
Scott Rasmussen just posted results of his latest poll and found that 51% of voters at least somewhat favor a mandatory buyback while 36% are opposed.
Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15.
Buy your shirt now: https://t.co/kEJxoLvfH5 pic.twitter.com/KKpAKX4IL8
— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 13, 2019
However, those same voters he polled said that it is unlikely to work. The reason: gun owners won’t turn them over.
“Just 24% of all voters think it is even somewhat likely that most owners of those weapons would actually turn their weapons over to the government. Only 9% consider that outcome ‘very likely,’” said the pollster.
The poll comes as the administration is shopping a proposal to slightly expand background checks and put a spotlight on the mental health of potential gun owners in a bid to curb gun violence without infringing on Second Amendment rights.
O’Rourke has staked out the most liberal stance on guns, promising to demand owners give up their weapons or face a fine. He even had a campaign T-shirt made up featuring his headline-grabbing line from the last Democratic debate: “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15.”
The survey also found support for a total gun buyback. Rasmussen said that 36% are at least somewhat supportive of a mandatory buyback of all privately owned guns.
Gun owners and potential owners have recently responded to the buyback talk by making record purchases of weapons and bullets, according to background check numbers and gun stores.
