“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47, you’re not going to be allowed to use it against your fellow Americans anymore,” he said.

The presidential candidate, speaking at the Democratic debates on Thursday, reiterated his desire to institute mandatory buybacks for semi-automatic weapons ― those “designed to kill people on a battlefield,” in his words ― which have been used repeatedly to carry out America’s worst mass shootings over the past few years.

In passionate answer on gun violence, Beto O'Rourke says, "When we see that being used against children...Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47. We're not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore." https://t.co/INdRXlIwFs #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/XqcbTWvR0m

The former congressman from Texas also dug in on his claim that President Donald Trump’s rhetoric has influenced mass shooters’ acts of violence, including the massacre in his hometown of El Paso last month.

“A racism and violence that had long been a part of America was welcomed out into the open and directed to my hometown of El Paso, Texas, where 22 people were killed and dozens more grievously injured,” he said on stage alongside nine other Democratic candidates.

O’Rourke, who has claimed he could take Texas from Trump in an election, hasn’t fared well in national 2020 polls, but has made gun violence a central issue in his campaign after the El Paso shooting put him in the national spotlight.