Politics

Beto O’Rourke Selling F-Bomb T-Shirts, Fundraising Off Of Mass Shooting

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David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is fundraising on the back of the weekend mass shooting in Odessa, Texas.

O’Rourke is selling t-shirts for $30 that cite his on-air profanity when he told CNN on Sunday that America’s gun laws are “f-cked up.” The dizzying speed with which the Beto campaign had t-shirts emblazoned with the phrase ready for online sales, prompted some to wonder if this O’Rourke’s supposed slip-up was really premeditated.

“We’re averaging about 300 mass shootings a year. So yes, this is f-cked up. If we don’t call it out for what it is, if we’re not able to speak clearly, if we’re not able to act decisively, we’ll continue to have this kind of bloodshed in America,” O’Rourke told CNN. (RELATED: Beto Breaks Promise To Stop Using The F-Word)

“And I cannot accept that. We’re going to speak as defiantly and as strongly as we can but we’re also going to take action. Universal background checks, red flag laws, end of the sales of weapons of war and buying those AK-47s and AR-15s back so they cannot be used against our fellow Americans.”

Beto O'Rourke appears on CNN's "State of the Union." Screen Shot/CNN

Beto O’Rourke appears on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Screen Shot/CNN

O’Rourke was apparently confused when he claimed the United States is “averaging about 300 mass shootings a year.” There have been 167 mass shootings since 1966, according to statistics compiled by the Washington Post. (RELATED: Beto’s Gun Control Plan)

The former Texas congressman also announced that he would be confiscating America’s semi-automatic rifles if he becomes the next president of the United States. When asked if that was his plan, O’Rourke responded, “I want to be really clear, that’s exactly what we are gong to do.”