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2020 Democrat Beto O'Rourke gained significant amounts of press coverage after his talk on gun confiscations. From "hell yes, we're gonna take your AR-15, your AK-47," to threatening "consequences" against Americans who don't hand over their guns, O'Rourke is no stranger to backlash. Earlier this month, the 2020 Democrat didn't help his cause by further doubling down and talking about police-enforced, door-to-door gun raids. This type of talk prompted various leaders within law enforcement to come out and confirm that they'd never enforce this type of decree. Over the course of his campaign, O'Rourke has largely stood by his gun-grabbing rhetoric despite censure; however, that seemed to change over this weekend during one of O'Rourke's campaign stops in Iowa.

What Caused O'Rourke To Tone It Down?

During O'Rourke's time in Iowa, a student posed an interesting point regarding AR-15s and O'Rourke's interest in confiscating these weapons from law-abiding citizens. The student noted that using AR-15s to hunt is much less painful for animals than other weapons. The 2020 Democrat first responded by stating that he'd never heard this argument before. Then, O'Rourke suggested that owners of AR-15s should possibly consider storing these firearms at gun ranges or hunting clubs. In O'Rourke's own words: "Perhaps a way to address a legitimate concern or need is to ensure that those who have or want to use an AR-15 are able to keep it at a hunting club or at a gun range; [this way] there is some control and safeguards still placed on that firearm." See for yourself: https://twitter.com/MauraBarrettNBC/status/1187805309210910722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1187805309210910722&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fbeto-orourke-backtracks-on-ar-15-confiscation-keep-it-at-a-hunting-club-or-at-a-gun-range Even in this scenario, O'Rourke is still policing AR-15 owners to some extent; however, it's a notable difference from vowing to take AR-15s from Americans and threatening to use the police as muscle.

Another Shift on Gun Policy?

Despite the events which transpired over the weekend, O'Rourke has not publicly come out and stated that he no longer supports mandatory buyback programs. The talk of having AR-15 owners store their weapons at hunting clubs or gun ranges is a lighter approach than an outright confiscation; however, this still marks a shift on gun policy for O'Rourke. Last year, O'Rourke famously declared that he had no interest in taking Americans' AR-15s. Of course, he made this declaration while running for Senate in the gun-loving state of Texas.