The room was silent save for the sound of Beto O’Rourke’s voice. The Democratic nominee for Texas governor delivered a detailed description of the purpose and effect an AR-15, the weapon the Uvalde school shooter used to slaughter 19 children and their two teachers in May. As O’Rourke said that the weapon fires bullets that can penetrate soldiers’ helmets, laughter rang out.
“It may be funny to you, motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me,” O’Rourke replied without hesitation.
The crowd erupted into applause. The moment swiftly went viral. Internet liberals can’t get enough of it.
According to Beto Media, which originally posted the footage from a town hall O’Rourke attended on Wednesday, the person who laughed supports his opponent, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R). The individual doesn’t appear to be in the frame, though at least one person in the video can be seen holding an Abbott sign.
Multiple versions of clip posted to Twitter on Wednesday have gone massively virally. One has more than 5 million views; Beto Media’s version has 3 million as of this writing.
The laughing person interrupted O’Rourke as he was pointing out that the Uvalde shooter legally purchased the weapon, as the Daily Dot first reported. O’Rourke has called to ban assault style rifles. He reiterated this pledge after the Uvalde shooting.
Many heartily approved of O’Rourke calling the individual who laughed a “motherfucker,” including gun control advocates and people who have personal experiences with mass shootings.
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the Parkland school shooting, tweeted, “This is how you respond when someone laughs loudly while discussing the mass shooting in Uvalde.”
Shannon Watts, founder of the gun control advocacy organization Moms Demand Action, retweeted the video and followed it with a call for people to contribute to or volunteer for O’Rourke’s campaign.
Democrats rallied behind O’Rourke. “Calling it like it is…@BetoORourke is that guy!!!” Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee, commented.
It seems liberals love O’Rourke dropping profanity on their timeline. Flame emoji decorated the comments like thirsty confetti.
“THIS is what we need, peeps. Unvarnished, passionate fierceness. Go, Beto!!” @LorraineDWilke tweeted.
As the video picked up traction online, it inspired a hashtag: #ItsNotFunnyMF.
O’Rourke supporters urged him to milk the moment for all it’s worth.
“Hopefully, I’ll soon be able to purchase my #ItsNotFunnyMF shirt from the @BetoORourke store,” wrote one.
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