Former Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke claimed Saturday that trans women of color can be killed with “complete impunity” in the U.S.
O’Rourke made the comments during a stump speech in Iowa, where he pushed back at concerns that he’s moved too far to the left, specifically addressing his plan to confiscate AR-15s from Americans through a mandatory gun buyback program. (RELATED: Beto O’Rourke Says America Was ‘Founded On White Supremacy’)
” I would be afraid if I were a schoolteacher in a kindergarten classroom and those kids for whom I had already sacrificed so much were up against a gunman with an AR-15 because we didn’t have the courage to stop them while we still had time,” O’Rourke said. “I would be afraid if I were the son of an immigrant who went to work early this morning and never came back, detained and deported back to a country he had not seen for 20 years.”
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The presidential candidate then falsely claimed that “trans women of color” can be murdered in the U.S. without consequences. (RELATED: Are Transgender Individuals Being Murdered At A Higher Rate Than The Rest Of The Population?)
“I would be afraid if I was a trans woman of color who could be killed with complete impunity in this country right now with no one to follow up or investigate,” he said. (RELATED: Here Are The Two Republicans Who Co-Sponsored A Bill To Allow Male Athletes To Compete In Women’s Sports)
Since launching his presidential campaign in March, O’Rourke has moved to the left on several policy positions, including proposing a mandatory buyback program for certain firearms, and tearing down existing fencing at the southern border.