O'Rourke should have expected this question

[left-of-center2012]

Beto O’Rourke’s signature issue lately has been a 'mandatory federal government buyback of assault weapons'.

Yet when asked (3 times)
“What will you do if someone doesn’t want to sell their assault weapons to the government”
O’Rourke didn’t answer the question (What will you do...),
but instead three times stated statistics on gun violence.

It’s a question for which he should have been prepared.
“You want a mandatory buyback? What if they just say no?”
O'Rourke had no answer, other than to state statistics on gun violence.

Perhaps referencing O’Rourke’s quote (from a previous debate)
“Hell yes, we’re coming for your guns”
three other candidates said last night
“We’re not going to be knocking on your door, coming for your weapons”.

[cwydro]

1. Interesting.

Not a fan of Beto.

[liskddksil]

2. I agree with Charles Blow (NYT)

Link to tweet

and

Link to tweet

[left-of-center2012]

3. "If you don't sell it back, you just become a criminal"

That should have been Beto's response.

"These Dems sound like cowards discussing @BetoORourke’s buyback proposal."

The candidates debate each others' proposals all the time.
Hell, even Beto does it.

[inwiththenew]

4. If you don't the police are going to come to your house and likely kill you

It's as simple as that. It's not like they have any qualms about blasting people in their own homes.

[mr_lebowski]

5. Given there's no registration system, how would they know to come to your home?

Also ... 'likely kill you'? Really?

People are peacefully taken into custody all the time, pretty sure the cops much prefer this route.

Esp. with white people.

[inwiththenew]

6. If you bought a firearm from a dealer there is a record of that gun being sold to you

You have to fill out a form that the dealer keeps that has your name, address, the gun, and the serial number. While not a full registration it is sort of a defacto registration. Now you could have sold it but they could easily compile a list of everyone who owns a banned weapon and start rolling up to your house with the SWAT team and say "how do you want this to go?".

How many people have we watched get shot because the police thought they were armed. The police are giant hammer in search of a nail. Just look what happened in Dallas this past weekend. Or the guy they killed in the hallway in Arizona playing Simon Says with him. Doesn't affect me because I don't own firearms but I'm not naive enough to believe the police won't shoot you without the slightest hesitation as long as they think they could articulate a reason.