It was only last month that 22 people were murdered by a racist gunman targeting Hispanics in El Paso, Texas, once again bringing gun violence to the forefront of American political issues.
El Paso is the hometown of former congressman and current Democratic Presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, who suspended campaigning after the shooting to console his constituents and help the town recover before getting back on the campaign trail.
O'Rourke's passion and concern in the woeful aftermath received national praise, which was reiterated by the other contenders at Thursday night's third Democratic debate.
When the subject of the debate turned to gun control, O'Rourke backed a mandatory buyback and total ban of assault weapons in no uncertain terms, saying, "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15."
Watch below:
O'Rourke's impassioned answer drew heavy applause from the live audience, but not everyone watching at home was cheering with them.
Texas state Representative Briscoe Cain even responded with a death threat, and O'Rourke used it to make a good point on assault weapons.
Cain only doubled down.
The original death threat was deleted by Twitter, citing its rules against death threats.
Cain became the subject of immense backlash, including from Parkland shooting survivor and March for Our Lives co-founder David Hogg.
Not the smartest move, Briscoe.
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House Oversight Committee
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