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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Benjamin Lynch

Man sobs to US politician saying sons are 'tough but they cannot stop a bullet'

A sickened dad-of-two broke down in tears when talking about gun control at a political rally for Democrat Beto O'Rourke.

The outburst, in which the man revealed he was once the victim of a school shooting, revealed students returned to school the next day even as "two people got shot."

He added: "I have two boys in high school. They are huge athletic, muscular kids that play sports.

"They are very tough, but they cannot stop a bullet."

The man, an owner of five guns and a lifelong democrat, said his mother, a Republican, would be voting for him.

The comment earned cheers from the crowd.

The dad sobbed as he explained why he and his mum would vote for the former congressman (Twitter)

O'Rourke is running to be the Governor of Texas and has been a strong advocate for increases in gun control in the state, particularly after the horrific mass shooting in Uvalde in May.

A total of 19 students and two teachers were shot and killed, with another 17 injured in yet another mass shooting in the country.

The issue is divisive in the state and has arguably made some of O'Rourke's recent activity controversial as well.

O'Rourke is running for Governor again in 2022 (Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News/Pool via REUTERS)

Gun control is a controversial issue with many of those against it feeling the second amendment to the US constitution gives them the right to bear arms regardless of their background and who they are.

O'Rourke's side of the argument is that gun control is needed to prevent easy access to guns and requiring people to subscribe to various checks before they are allowed a deadly weapon.

According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 45,222 died by a gun in 2020.

A total of 19,384 of them were homicides.

O'Rourke was accused of politicising the deaths of the Uvalde children after interrupting a press conference held by Governor Greg Abbott (REUTERS/Veronica G. Cardenas)

Texas, according to the World Population Review, currently has the highest number of gun deaths in the US this year, though is 28th in the country in terms of death per capita.

The type of gun up for restriction is another part of the debate with semiautomatic assault rifles like AR-15s legally accessible from the age of 18 in Texas.

The gun used at Uvalde was bought at a sporting goods store by shooter Salvador Ramos.

In the wake of Uvalde, O'Rourle interrupted a meeting held by current Governor Greg Abbott which earned anger from those present who accused him of politicising the deaths of the school children

O'Rourke said: "You said this was not predictable? This is totally predictable when you choose not to do anything."

Abbott eventually responded when his opponent in the upcoming November Governor election was removed.

Fellow Republican Senator Ted Cruz also accused O'Rourke of a "stunt".

He said: "Every Texan, every American, has a responsibility. We need to not focus on ourselves and our agendas, we need to focus on the healing and hope that we are providing to those who suffered unconscionable damage to their lives."

In a separate incident, O'Rourke was holding a town hall event in Mineral Wells when a person appeared to laugh mockingly when the former Congressman was talking about Uvalde.

He responded: "It may be funny to you m**********r, but it’s not funny to me."

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