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O'Rourke says Buttigieg is afraid to push for mandatory buyback of assault rifles as he's 'worried about the polls'

The former Texas congressman reiterated his call to ban AR-15s and AK-47s saying that it was 'wrong' for more than 10 million of the assault weapons to be 'on the streets'

BY NAMRATA TRIPATHI

UPDATED MAR 13, 2020

Democratic 2020 presidential candidate and former congressman, Beto O'Rourke, on Wednesday, denounced his 2020 primary rival, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and accused him of being "afraid" to push mandatory buyback of certain guns.

O'Rourke, while appearing at MSNBC's Gun Safety Forum, called for a ban on AR-15s and AK-47s, saying that it was "wrong" for more than 10 million of the assault weapons to be "on the streets" in the United States.

Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) speaks at a campaign town hall at the Irish Cultural Center on April 28, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Getty Images)

"I've got to tell you. I've heard some of the comments made today on this stage. Those who are worried about the polls or want to triangulate or talk to the consultants or listen to the focus groups," the Texas politician said while addressing the audience. "I'm talking about Mayor Pete on this one, who I think wants to get to the right place but is afraid of doing the right thing right now."

"To those who need a weatherman, let me tell you that mandatory buybacks are supported by the majority of Americans," O'Rourke added. "To [Sens.] Chuck Schumer and Chris Coons and Mayor Pete and others, not only is it the right thing to do, not only will we save the lives of fellow Americans, the American people are with us on this issue."

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg announces that he will be seeking the Democratic nomination for president during a rally in the old Studebaker car factory on April 14, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Getty Images)

The former congressman declared during a Democratic debate last month: "Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47, and we’re not going to allow it to be used against your fellow Americans anymore." O'Rourke and Buttigieg have had differences of opinions on the issue ever since.

The South Bend Mayor had criticized O'Rourke's remarks during the debate, saying that the former congressman's comments "will be played for years at Second Amendment rallies with organizations that try to scare people by saying Democrats are coming for your guns."