Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Beto Going All-In on Confiscation

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Beto Going All-In on Confiscation

Democrat Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke continues to struggle to gain any sort of traction for his campaign. With some polls putting him in 10th place, and his average sitting around 7th, some might say that it is desperation time for the candidate who was once a darling with the far left and the legacy media while he was running his losing campaign to unseat U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.).

recent tweet from O’Rourke is just one clue that the candidate is, indeed, becoming desperate.

The former U.S. Representative from Texas called on banks and credit card companies to help promote gun control by refusing to do business with companies that produce legal products, and refusing to process legal financial transactions.

As has often been the case with Beto’s campaign, he seems to try to be provocative by rehashing old ideas.

Some banking institutions, with the urging of anti-gun extremists, have already adjusted their practices to accommodate those, like O’Rourke, who stand opposed to the Second Amendment. While this subject has been part of the anti-gun crusade for some time, it has been met with strong opposition, and others have questioned how credit card companies could stop processing certain, specific transactions without actually ceasing doing any business with companies that allow the targeted transactions, as well as others not targeted.

Beto’s most puzzling demand is that banks and credit card companies “(s)top processing transactions for gun sales online & at gun shows without background checks.” As a presidential candidate, and former U.S. Representative, O’Rourke should be aware that ALL firearm transfers through licensed gun dealers—whether they be at a brick-and-mortar store, at a gun show, or over the Internet—are required, by law, to be run through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

Of course, he knows this, but his tweet is intended to create confusion on the issue, as well as create the impression that he is proposing to address specific problems, even though they simply do not exist.

Rehashing an old anti-gun campaign isn’t his only sign of desperation, though.

On September 12, during the third debate of Democrat Presidential candidates, he tried to be even more provocative.

When asked if he supported confiscation of certain semi-automatic firearms, Beto stated, “Hell yes, we’re gonna take your AR-15, your AK47….”

And just to prove he was serious, his campaign started selling t-shirts.

Thankfully, he didn’t go so far as one former candidate who also proposed confiscation, but also made what many considered to be a rather ominous threat.

So far, Beto has tried being folksy, posting videos of him at the dentist, getting his hair cut, flipping burgers, and changing a tire. That hasn’t been successful in getting his polling numbers out of the low single digits.

Now he’s selling profanity and trying to prove he’s the most anti-gun candidate in the field in trying to lure support from Democrats in his Quixotic quest to be President. A far cry from when he faced only the Texas electorate, and assured lawful gun owners they could keep their firearms. If these tactics don’t work, which they likely won’t, can we expect O’Rourke to dive even deeper into the anti-gun end of the pool, and start promoting the repeal of the Second Amendment? As we often say, stay tuned!

TRENDING NOW
All Flags, No Fix: Michigan’s Real Public Safety Problem

News  

Monday, August 31, 2026

All Flags, No Fix: Michigan’s Real Public Safety Problem

Sorry, Michiganders, but the state has developed a serious problem with crime and consequences.

Biden-Era “Engaged in the Business” Rule (Again) Ruled Illegal

News  

Monday, August 31, 2026

Biden-Era “Engaged in the Business” Rule (Again) Ruled Illegal

The anti-gun programs and policies of the Biden-Harris administration have been falling like dominoes, lately.

Commerce Dept. Explains Why Unconstitutional Microstamping is Also Ineffective

News  

Monday, August 31, 2026

Commerce Dept. Explains Why Unconstitutional Microstamping is Also Ineffective

On August 12, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sent a letter to U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology Chairman Brian Babin (R-Texas) reiterating what gun rights ...

Australia Remains Committed to Eliminating Guns from the Law-Abiding

News  

Monday, August 31, 2026

Australia Remains Committed to Eliminating Guns from the Law-Abiding

It’s been a long time since Australia had relatively sensible gun laws.  While national regulations did not really come into play until the 1990s, the states and territories began imposing severe restrictions on lawful gun owners ...

FBI Releases Final Crime Report for 2025 to the Dismay of Firearm Prohibitionists

News  

Monday, August 24, 2026

FBI Releases Final Crime Report for 2025 to the Dismay of Firearm Prohibitionists

There has been a certain amount of anticipation while the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) analyzed the available crime data for last year. The speculation among many was that the report would be, not just ...

A New Era of Access for Hunters: Trump DOI Expands Opportunities in Historic Move

News  

Monday, August 31, 2026

A New Era of Access for Hunters: Trump DOI Expands Opportunities in Historic Move

Heading into hunting season, America's sportsmen and women have another significant development from the Trump administration worth celebrating.

NRA-ILA Launches First-Ever National “Gun Bus Battleground Tour” to Mobilize Gun Owners for 2026 Midterms

News  

Monday, August 31, 2026

NRA-ILA Launches First-Ever National “Gun Bus Battleground Tour” to Mobilize Gun Owners for 2026 Midterms

FAIRFAX, Va. — The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) todaylaunched its first-ever national bus tour, the 2026 NRA’s Gun Bus Battleground Tour, a more than two month, 13-state campaign to energize and ...

Questions and Answers About the Texas NFA Case

News  

Monday, August 17, 2026

Questions and Answers About the Texas NFA Case

On August 12, we reported on an important development in the ongoing litigation over the National Firearms Act (NFA) filed by multiple plaintiffs in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. These included, ...

District Court Enters Final Judgment Striking Down New Mexico’s Waiting Period Law in NRA Victory

Friday, August 28, 2026

District Court Enters Final Judgment Striking Down New Mexico’s Waiting Period Law in NRA Victory

The U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico granted summary judgment holding New Mexico’s 7-day waiting period law unconstitutional in Ortega v. Grisham—a case brought by the National Rifle Association and Mountain States ...

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

In another major victory for the National Rifle Association and law-abiding gun owners, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas today held that the National Firearms Act’s registration and approval requirements for ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.