FACT CHECK: Did Beto O’Rourke Tweet ‘It’s Time To Ban Gun Ownership Across The Board’?

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a tweet from Texas politician Beto O’Rourke calling for gun ownership to be banned “across the board.”

Verdict: False

The tweet is digitally fabricated. There is no evidence O’Rourke published such a tweet.

Fact Check:

O’Rourke confronted Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott about his stance on firearms at a press conference the day after a shooting in Uvalde, Texas left 21 people dead, according to Politico. “The time to stop the next shooting is right now and you are doing nothing,” O’Rourke told Abbott as security attempted to escort him out of the room, the outlet reported.

An image shared on Facebook appears to show a tweet published by O’Rourke the same day. “Guns have to go!” the alleged tweet reads. “It’s time to ban gun ownership across the board. When I am elected president, I will have every single gun removed from private citizen ownership!”

“I’d LOVE to see him TRY,” the post’s caption reads. (RELATED: Did Florida Politician Randy Fine Publish This Tweet About ‘Sacrificing’ School Children For The Second Amendment?)

O’Rourke did not publish this tweet. It could not be found on his verified Twitter account, nor on Politwoops, a website that tracks tweets deleted by politicians. No major news outlets have reported on the alleged statement. There is also no evidence the Texas politician intends to run for president, though he is currently running for governor.

O’Rourke states on his website that he does not believe ” any civilian should own an AR-15 or AK-47″ and claims if he becomes governor he will repeal permitless carry.

Check Your Fact has reached out to O’Rourke’s office for comment and will update this piece if a response is given.