Pro-gun control Texas Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke repeatedly said he supports the Second Amendment during a debate with Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) on Friday.
Cruz claimed O'Rourke would support Supreme Court justices who "would undermine the Second Amendment."
"Let me talk for a moment about the case Heller vs. District of Columbia," Cruz said. "It’s a landmark case that upheld the individual right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment."
"Congressman O’Rourke, like Hillary Clinton, wants justices who would overturn that, and let me tell you the position of the dissenters," Cruz continued. "The dissenters in Heller said that no individual, no American whatsoever has any right to keep and bear arms."
Cruz then said O’Rourke wanted to get rid of the Second Amendment.
"That’s a radical position, it’s an extreme position, and that’s what Congressman O’Rourke wants to see the Supreme Court doing, writing the Second Amendment out of the Bill of Rights," he said.
O’Rourke rejected Cruz’s characterization of his position.
"Of course, I support the Second Amendment," O’Rourke said, prompting jeers from the crowd.
"In what way, in what respect, and name one judge you’ve ever supported who would actually uphold Heller," Cruz challenged.
O’Rourke countered that it is the Senate’s job to confirm justices.
"Did you endorse Hillary Clinton?" Cruz asked.
O’Rourke protested that support for Clinton had nothing to do with his support of the Second Amendment, but then added, "I fully support the Second Amendment."
On his campaign website, O’Rourke expresses support for new gun control laws, including a national universal background check law and more funding for government research on gun violence. He also discusses why he supports banning certain semi-automatic rifles and so-called high capacity ammunition magazines. He is against selling the AR-15, a popular rifle, to civilians.
O’Rourke has received an F rating from the NRA, while Cruz has been given an A+ rating.