Police Group Criticizes Beto O’Rourke’s Plan To Have Them Confiscate Guns

By
Jordan Riddle
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Beto O’Rourke’s new anti-gun plan would have law enforcement officials across the country going door-to-door to confiscate outlawed firearms—but law enforcement officials do not want anything to do with it.

The Washington Free Beacon reports “leaders from groups representing hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officers” overwhelmingly criticized the plan. They reportedly said it was unconstitutional, as well as “ridiculous” and “asinine.”

O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman, has repeatedly said as president he would outlaw the ownership of AR-15s and AK-47s. Subsequently, he would send law enforcement officials to individuals to confiscate them—should they not comply with handing them over in the first place.

“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47,” the presidential candidate said during the Democratic primary debate in September.

That’s where the Free Beacon reports a leader of the National Fraternal Order of Police—which represents more than 330,000 law enforcement officers—says he draws the line.

“Mr. O’Rourke may not be aware that state and local police officers (who comprise more than 90% of all police in the U.S.) receive their orders from their local jurisdictions – not from the Federal government,” Jim Pasco, the order’s executive director, said to the Free Beacon. “Further, any such legislation, if it passed, would no doubt be vigorously litigated with a view to its apparent inconsistency with the Second Amendment.”

“In view of the foregoing, and in view of Mr. O’Rourke’s current standing in the polls, we do not view this as an issue we will have to grapple within the foreseeable future,” the group leader continued.

Here’s more, from the report:

AJ Louderback, the sheriff of Jackson County, Tex., said he and many other sheriffs would not follow orders to confiscate guns en masse.

“I think he’s seriously misjudging the law enforcement response to what he wants to do,” Louderback told the Free Beacon. “Many sheriffs would not comply with his plan.”

Louderback sits on the immigration and government affairs committees of the National Sheriffs’ Association, which represents over 3,000 sheriffs across the country. He described O’Rourke’s plan as unworkable and counterproductive.

“This guy’s plan is ridiculous,” he said. “Everyone is looking for solutions to violent crime but this isn’t one of them. I’m not going to harass my citizens for owning guns.”

And:

The National Association of Police Organizations, which represents over 1,000 police organizations with more than 240,000 sworn officers, said O’Rourke’s plan would violate officers’ constitutional oath.

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“It’s ironic that Beto O’Rourke, who was slamming police as ‘the new Jim Crow’ just a year ago, now finds a need for police when he wants to disarm individuals,” Bill Johnson, executive director of the group, told the Free Beacon. “Maybe poor Beto should spend less time live-streaming his visits to the dentist and attend a basics civics class instead. He’d be reminded that the very first law every police officer swears to uphold is the Constitution.”