Beto O'Rouke returns to Wichita Falls for town hall

Wichitans filled Midwestern State University’s Dillard College of Business Administration lecture room to capacity Friday night to hear and meet U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rouke, D-El Paso, for his town hall.

This is his third time in Wichita Falls as he travels across Texas for his campaign for incumbent Ted Cruz's senate seat.

"I love the spirit in this community and I want to be here to listen, understand and be ready to represent and fight for Wichita Falls in the U.S. Senate," O'Rouke said.

During his town hall O'Rouke covered education, health care, mental health, gun control and immigration.

On gun control, O'Rouke said, "We have to be able to protect the lives of those in this community, especially the most vulnerable. I'm talking about kids in classrooms. To allow people to purchase machines that were intended solely for the purpose of killing other human beings on the battlefield, so they can bring them into classrooms and kill our little children is wrong.

"It may not be politically popular to say that. Maybe not politically popular in Texas. What I'm convinced of is that it's very necessary to say that and to talk about it."

O'Rouke also told those gathered that it was important to listen to what people with different views have to say about gun control, but also having a discussion, a debate and legislation to improve safety without taking guns away.

"Without doing anything to change the second amendment," he said. "We can do that in this country and our country needs now more than thoughts and prayers it needs action."

Two weeks ago O'Rouke announced that his campaign raised more than $2.4 million in the last three months of 2017 without taking any money from PACs.