
Democrat Beto O'Rourke responded to a heckler at a campaign stop with an expletive after the Texas gubernatorial candidate heard a cackled laugh while criticizing the ease with which the Uvalde elementary school gunman legally purchased an AR-15-style rifle.
By Thursday, video of O'Rourke's exchange at a town hall in rural Mineral Wells had drawn millions of views on social media, becoming the latest instance in which O'Rourke has gotten attention for his calls for stricter gun laws following one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history.