Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke called out a Republican lawmaker overnight. accusing Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain of making a “death threat” against him.
During the third Democratic presidential debate Thursday night, O’Rourke received cheers and applause for saying, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.” The former congressman’s district last month was the target of a mass shooting. 22 people were massacred at a Walmart in El Paso.
Rep. Cain took to Twitter to attack O’Rourke.
“My AR is ready for you Robert Francis,” Cain tweeted, using O’Rourke’s legal first and middle names.
O’Rourke did not take the tweet lightly.
“This is a death threat, Representative. Clearly, you shouldn’t own an AR-15—and neither should anyone else.”
Some on the social media platform appeared to agree with O’Rourke, tweeting they had alerted Twitter and the FBI.
Twitter seemed to agree, apparently taking down Cain’s tweet. It is listed as “no longer available.”
Cain later responded to O’Rourke, tweeting, “You’re a child Robert Francis.”
A reporter for The Guardian notes Cain’s tweet, before it was removed, was not well-received. The responses far outweighed the likes and retweets.