Beto O'Rourke on Texas Shooting: 'This Is F*cked Up'

By Anna Kaplan, The Daily Beast

01 September 19

 

ormer Texas representative and 2020 hopeful Beto O’Rourke railed against Congress late Saturday for not doing enough to stop gun violence after yet another mass shooting. After a gunman in west Texas left at least 5 dead and 21 injured, O'Rourke told voters in Virginia that “there is no reason” Americans should live with such gun violence. “Not sure how many gunmen, not sure how many people have been shot. Don’t know how many people have been killed, the condition of those who have survived. Don’t know what the motivation is, do not yet know the firearms that were used, or how they acquired them. But we do know that this is fucked up,” he said.

“There is no reason that we have to accept this as our fortune,” he said, “And yet functionally, right now, we have.” He went on to slam Congress, which he said “will not even pass universal background checks or close those loopholes that allow people to buy a firearm when they should not be able to.” The El Paso native has become outspoken on gun control following the shooting at a Walmart in his hometown that left 22 dead and dozens injured. Several other 2020 Democratic candidates also reiterated their calls for gun control after the shooting, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who wrote on Twitter that “we shouldn’t have to live with this near daily fear and horror.” Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) chimed in as well, writing in a tweet, “I’m sick of this. America is sick of this. We need to act.”

We don't know how many have been killed. We don't know the motivation. But here's what we do know: This is fucked up. pic.twitter.com/NRvyPfUjiM

— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 1, 2019

Beginning on Day One in office, I will take executive action to reduce gun violence—closing dangerous loopholes in gun sales, cracking down on gun manufacturers, and investing in communities impacted by gun violence.

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) August 31, 2019

The Odessa shooting is horrific - people shot randomly in a shopping center for no reason. My heart goes out to the families of the dead and wounded, including our brave law enforcement officers. We must do all we can to curb the scourge of gun violence in this country.

— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) August 31, 2019