Let’s start with the obvious: On the Second Amendment, Donald Trump has done quite well. We can complain about the administrative bump stock ban, but that pales in comparison to a lengthy list of pro-Second Amendment judges on the court. Right now, barring a packed court, Heller is safe, and the potential is there to build on that ruling, especially if Trump wins re-election and a pro-Second Amendment president succeeds him.
Now, let’s take a look at the track record of Beto O’Rourke. He served three terms in the House of Representatives from 2013-2019. Just his record from those three terms should be enough for any Second Amendment supporter, even those upset over bump stocks, to rule him out as an alternative to Trump.
For starters, let’s look at his votes. In 2014, he voted to allow the District of Columbia to enforce even more draconian restrictions on law-abiding gun owners than had been in place. Keep in mind, according to an NRA-ILA summary, Washington D.C.’s laws are among the strictest in the country. Yet, when you look at crime stats, D.C.’s are pretty high, if not on the level of Chicago or Baltimore.
O’Rourke also voted to continue arbitrary additions to the NICS prohibited persons list from both the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs. He did provide a lengthy explanation for his vote on the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act, but when you look at the issue, he gets it wrong. Our rights, which are given to us by our Creator, should not be taken from us just on the say-so of an unelected, unaccountable bureaucrat. Yet O’Rourke was willing to defend that happening.
In that respect, his opposition to the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act in 2017 was also not surprising. In this case, he simply saw no reason to deal with the fact that crossing state lines means that the right to self-protection is infringed, for no good reason. Even driver’s licenses are good in all 50 states and D.C. – so why not concealed carry permits?
O’Rourke even refused to support legislation to help sportsmen, voting against the Sportsman’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act in 2016. While we often focus on gun bans, self-defense, and similar legislation, the fact is, many people exercise their Second Amendment rights to put food on the table or for just target shooting. The Interior Department noted in 2017 that there were 11.5 million hunters and 32.4 million target shooters. The NRA has about 6 million members. If we could add half of the hunters and target shooters to the NRA – an additional 21.65 million potential voters, it would be an unstoppable juggernaut, and our rights would be far safer than they are now. A lot of the time, the simple fact is that size matters. If politicians knew they were offending nearly 28 million voters, they would be far more respectful of our rights than just the six million in the present NRA.
O’Rourke has gone to a greater anti-Second Amendment extreme in his presidential campaign. He sent tweets supporting outlining an aggressive anti-Second Amendment agenda and targeting the NRA over universal background checks. Yet he somehow got a 50 percent rating from GOA in 2018, 30 points higher than that group gave Steve Scalise, a stalwart supporter of our right to keep and bear arms.
The good news is O’Rourke’s candidacy seems to be foundering. There are other anti-Second Amendment extremists pushing positions that are even more extreme than his, and he has also made some mistakes. This may be a blessing, as he gave Ted Cruz a close run, and arguably helped tilt House races against pro-Second Amendment candidates in 2018. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Beto O’Rourke is NOT good for gun rights.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
Ahh beto we hardly knew ye.but for the deal killer google “beto furry”.
Didnt we get enough preversion in the oval office with bubbas peculiar idea on what constitutes a humidor???
Beato is sinking in the polls faster than any other of the 20 stooges. He is of no consequence. Maybe after this failure he’ll fade from sight, but since he has no other occupational skills, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
That was quite a ploy by Harold to get everyone’s interest then throw a plug in for the NRA and diss the GOA. If the NRA wasn’t run by a bunch of crooked money grabbers someone might listen to him. I have been fooled long enough and I will not send them any more money. I don’t care what expensive tastes king WLP has but I will not support him or the others. Harold could go write children’s fiction articles.
All the current Democratic presidential contenders all support gun control and they have each mentioned their own gun control proposals if they are elected president of this country. Any elected official regardless of whether it’s local. county, state or federal government they aren’t supposed to pick and choose what Amendments to the Bill of Rights they will support or not support. It doesn’t work that way. Elected officials upon bein sworn in to office take an Oath to support and defend the Constitution. None of the dems are worth their salt, and they are nothing but SUBVERSIVES and need to… Read more »
O Rourke family is old time crooked politicians, top to bottom. He fooled the people of El Paso, and he thought maybe the whole state would be as dumb, and he was almost right. The idiot straight ticket voters nearly elected him and in the process lost some good congressmen and put a career welfare Hispanic student in charge of Harris County (Houston), the third most populous county in the U.S. At 28, it is her first “job” after endless years of being nothing but a student supported totally by taxpayers. And her first act was to redirect FEMA flood… Read more »
Every Commiecrat out there is totally anti-2A. And I call BS on that claim that GOA gave Beto a “50%” rating. That’s NOT how GOA rates politicians! GOA uses an A-to-F scale just like NRA, and we all know how notoriously lousy NRA’s ratings are, anyway! NRA gives out rosy-colored ratings like candy!! I think ol’ Harold is just cherry-picking his “statistics” to diss the GOA, since everyone here keeps giving him hell for shilling for NRA and pointing out how GOA is doing a FAR better job at protecting 2A Rights. Let’s remember there are lies, Damned Lies, and… Read more »