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Former Congressman and Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke told the Guardian on Thursday he supports a proposal by the March for our Lives, a group of youth gun violence prevention activists, to reexamine the supreme court’s current interpretation of the second amendment right to bear arms.



O’Rourke was the first Democratic 2020 candidate to support March for Our Lives’ ambitious new policy agenda for gun control reform.



His campaign did not back away from the most controversial elements of the youth activists’ plan, including their desire to revisit the supreme court’s current interpretation of the second amendment, enshrined in the 2009 District of Columbia v Heller decision, which found that Americans have an individual right to own handguns in their homes for self defense.



“While Beto agrees with the court’s holding that the second amendment allows for regulation, he does not agree with the entirety of the Heller decision,” National Press Secretary Aleigha Cavalier said in a statement. “One piece of the Heller case Beto believes should be revisited is the court’s decision to strike down DC’s safe storage requirements.”



Hillary Clinton’s made similar arguments about “safe storage requirements” and the Heller decision during her 2016 presidential campaign.



Asked explicitly if O’Rourke “believes the second amendment should be interpreted to guarantee Americans the right to own handguns in their home for self defense, or not,” the campaign dodged giving any clear answer.



“Beto believes the second amendment allows for the reasonable regulation of firearms, and as president, will appoint judges that uphold that belief.”