Hi. I'm Beto O'Rourke, a candidate for President.

How will you confiscate the millions of AR 15s?

How will you confiscate the millions of AR 15s?

Americans will comply with the law. It will be a mandatory buyback of AR-15 and AK-47s, weapons designed for war. Because we understand that theres no reason for a any of us to own a weapon that was designed to kill people on a battlefield. Especially when that kind of weapon is so often used to kill and terrorize people throughout this country — in their schools, in their grocery stores, in their churches, in their synagogues, at concerts... everywhere. I have met countless AR and AK owners who say they don’t need it to hunt, they don’t need it for self defense, it’s fun to shoot but would give it up. Because they also have kids and grandkids and want them to be safe.

Do you still drink alcohol following your drunk driving incident?

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Police-reports-detail-Beto-O-Rourke-s-1998-13195088.php

Edit: My first Platinum and Gold, thanks anonymous person!

I’ll have a beer from time to time, but I don’t drive if I’ve had a drink.

Hi Beto. Why aren't you running for Senate?

EDIT: Thanks for the awards - but can you stop replying with "Because he already failed"? It's a different race against a different candidate and he has a ton of financial and practical support now that he didn't have in the last election.

Beto, if you're reading this still, you won't win. Please make yourself useful instead of boosting your ego and profile.

I’m running for President. I want to be the leader that we need and are missing right now. Healing instead of inflaming. Bringing us together instead of driving us further apart. Confident about the future and our role in it - not walling us off from the rest of the world, or putting kids in cages or turning our back on the greatest challenge we’ve ever faced, climate. I’m confident as a country we are up to this moment —but it’s going to take all of us... cant do it with half steps or half measures or only half the country. I’ve shown that I can bring people in and together.. in Texas we won more votes than any other democrat in the history of the state, won independents for the first time in decades, young voters turned out in record numbers.. we are campaining like that across the country, connecting with people by showing that no one’s written off, no one’s taken for granted. That’s how we can win the 38 electoral college votes in texas, that’s how we win across this country, that’s how we defeat donald trump, and that’s how we bring a very divided country back together

Hello, what is your plan concerning other drugs than marijuana ?

I will end the war on drugs. Which means that going forward we see people using drugs or who are addicted to drugs not as a criminal justice challenge but as a public health opportunity. People need help, treatment, support, long term recovery. They don’t need to go to jail or be locked up in prison. We’ll find that we are far more successful in achieving our goals if focus on care and compassion instead of incarceration. I will make sure that those who market these drugs, whether on the black market or out in the open like Purdue, are held accountable for the addiction and deaths that they have caused.

You speak of the climate crisis as you should, but what is your plan for the role of nuclear energy, where 50% of our carbon free energy comes from?

Let’s keep and improve our nuclear energy portfolio and expand it through investment in next generation nuclear plants. That in addition to other major steps on wind, solar, geothermal, battery storage... regenerative agriculture.. conservation and replanting.. ending all oil and gas on public lands and no new permitting offshore.. will help us get to net zero no later than 2050 and to be half way there by 2030

Hey Beto!

I’m a therapist in a maximum security prison. So often people leave prison with little supports after being isolated from the community. A lot of your planning revolves around clearing of charges, but what kind of services are you look to put in to rehabilitate these folks who were imprisoned based on these crimes?

Betos deleted reply:

In addition to restoring voting rights, I will make sure that those who leave prison are also able to find housing, employment and healthcare. Will go a long way towards making sure they can get back on their feet, fully participate in economic and civic life, be well enough to live to their full potential.. and less likely to be incarcerated again. It’s the right thing to do and its a benefit not only to the formerly incarcerated but to all of us.. was visiting with staff and prisoners at San Quentin yesterday and was told it costs $80k year to lock someone up there.. San Quentin also offers a model of transition into civilian world, with learning opportunities, accreditation, skills training, etc — gives prisoners help they need to have purpose and function on the outside

Porque deleted

Didn't want to make it about voting rights. My bad.

On the off chance that you see this amidst the torrent of replies - you should edit your original response to this question to include a note stating that you deleted your other response and why. That's a fine and normal explanation, but redditors will run wild with the appearance of impropriety created by you outright deleting anything you say in this thread.

Good suggestion

This is a great question. I will make sure that those who leave prison are also able to find housing, employment and healthcare. Will go a long way towards making sure they can get back on their feet, fully participate in economic and civic life, be well enough to live to their full potential.. and less likely to be incarcerated again. It’s the right thing to do and its a benefit not only to the formerly incarcerated but to all of us.. was visiting with staff and prisoners at San Quentin yesterday and was told it costs $80k year to lock someone up there.. San Quentin also offers a model of transition into civilian world, with learning opportunities, accreditation, skills training, etc — gives prisoners help they need to have purpose and function on the outside

Edit: Made a mistake on this one. Deleted a version that had voting rights in it because I thought the questioner didn't want to hear about voting rights. Didn't realize you could edit. Lesson for next time. But yes, obviously, we'll restore their voting rights.

Can you do a kick flip?

Nope

I'm a liberal but don't fully understand decriminalizing border crossings. If we want a welfare state, I would think that we would want to limit immigration because of the strains that too much would put on the welfare system.

If we make immigration too easy, do you think that it would lead to an increase in illegal border crossings? Would you crack down on companies that hire illegal immigrants? What is the number of immigrants you would allow into the country each year?

We should rewrite our immigration laws so that there is a safe, orderly and quick path to come to this country to work, to go to school, to join your family, to flee persecution or violence or disaster. We should never again criminally prosecute anyone seeking asylum or refuge; never separate another child from her family; never use immigration enforcement as a tool to breakup families or terrorize communities within the United States. We should work with the people of those countries - like El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras — that are producing so many refugees to reduce violence, mitigate the effects of climate change and drought, and ensure that they have don’t have to make a 2,000+ mile journey to this country. We should legalize millions who are already here, starting with the more than 1m dreamers, make them u.s. citizens. And then, accomplishing all of this, we should expect that anyone coming to this country follows our laws and respects our borders.

Hi Mr. O'Rourke. Austin, TX here. I have two questions:

1. Do you have any plans in regards to wealth inequality in the United States?
2. What are your views on Net Neutrality?

Thank you!

1. We have the greatest income and wealth divide since the last gilded age.. it means that too many are working 2 jobs to get by... or aren’t getting by.. we visited Skid Row in LA on tuesday, a lot of people on the streets, a lot of kids on the streets... while there are some in this country who have extraordinary wealth, able to pass it on from one generation to the next... locking in the divide and making it harder for people to move into the middle class. A few ideas: pay people a living wage. One job should be enough. I’ll sign into law a $15/hr minimum wage. Will complement that with a big investment in housing, $400b over the next 10 years, creating 200k new low-moderate income homes a year. Universal healthcare without copays for mental health, primary health, prescription medications or women’s reproductive health. Paid family leave. And then reverse the worst of the trump tax cuts to make sure the wealthiest and corporations are paying their fair share. And lastly, big investment in education — pk-12 public schools and the educators who we depend on, college affordable for all and elevating unions and their ability to provide skills training and apprenticeships.
2. YES on net neutrality.. internet should be a common carrier.. no one should be able to pay more to get their news, entertainment, political views, etc delivered more quickly.. no one, because of a lack of resources, should be stifled from being able to share what they’ve got.. all data traveling at the same speed.. good for freedom of speech, good for innovation, good for small businesses, good for our democracy

Tell Austin I say hello!