O'Rourke on past remarks about taking guns: 'Not interested in taking anything from anyone'

Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke on Tuesday said that he has no “interest in taking” assault weapons from gun owners, apparently backing away from a position he took during his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Speaking to reporters in Tyler, Texas, this week, O’Rourke said that he wants to “defend the Second Amendment,” but argued that the state’s gun policy should be driven by law enforcement. He also hammered Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for signing a bill into law last year that allows Texans to carry handguns without a permit or training.

“I’m not interested in taking anything from anyone,” O’Rourke said, according to KLTV, the ABC affiliate in Tyler. “What I want to make sure that we do is defend the Second Amendment. I want to make sure that we protect our fellow Texans far better than we’re doing right now. And that we listen to law enforcement, which Greg Abbott refused to do.”