The Democratic senator who said he would not allow Beto O’Rourke to take away his guns does not actually own any of the assault-style weapons the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate is seeking to confiscate.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said Wednesday that O’Rourke’s repeated comments about confiscating AR-15s and AK-47s are “harmful” to the Democratic Party because not all members support such a proposal.
“Beto is one human being. He gave his own opinion, OK? I think it was very harmful to make it look like all Democrats. I can tell you one thing: Beto O’Rourke’s not taking my guns away from me,” Manchin said.
But, according to Manchin’s office, the senator doesn’t even have the types of weapons that would be included in O’Rourke’s proposed buyback program.
Earlier this month, O’Rourke said Americans who own the guns would have to sell them to the government. He repeated the pledge at the last Democratic presidential debate, saying, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.”
The former Texas congressman has made gun control a centerpiece of his campaign since a mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart in early August.
