Manchin: ‘Beto O’Rourke is not taking my guns away from me’

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told reporters Wednesday that presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is “not taking my guns away from me.” 

{mosads}Manchin told a Wall Street Journal reporter that the former Texas representative did not speak for all Democrats when vowing to complete mandatory buybacks for certain high-powered rifles.

“Beto’s one human being,” Manchin said, according to a Journal reporter. “He gave his own opinion, OK? I think it was very harmful to make it look like all the Democrats. I can tell you one thing: Beto O’Rourke’s not taking my guns away from me. You tell Beto that OK?”  

Dem Sen. @JoeManchinWV on Beto pledge to confiscate AR15s:

“Beto’s one human being. He gave his own opinion, OK? I think it was very harmful to make it look like all the Democrats. I can tell you one thing: @BetoORourke‘s not taking my guns away from me. You tell Beto that OK?”

— Lindsay Wise (@lindsaywise) September 18, 2019

However, Manchin’s office reportedly told NBC news the senator does not own an AR-style gun. 

FYI, per his office, Sen Manchin does NOT own an AR-type weapon, so Beto’s buyback program wouldn’t affect him. https://t.co/Gqw4uPy7Ah

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 18, 2019

Manchin’s comments follow O’Rourke’s statements on gun control during the Democratic presidential debate on Thursday, when the candidate said, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.” 

O’Rourke has made his support of stricter gun control a centerpiece of his campaign following a shooting in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, that killed 22 people.