Beto O’Rourke is known for gun control more than anything else. I suspect most folks who have heard of him know about that and little else.

As we know, Beto is running for governor of Texas. He’s making something of a career out of running losing campaigns, after all, and this is his latest quixotic quest that will probably result in his defeat. After all, polls have Gov. Greg Abbott up by over nine points.

So far, O’Rourke’s campaign has been one dramatic attempt to push emotion after another.

That kept playing in my head as I read about this incident:

A sickened dad-of-two broke down in tears when talking about gun control at a political rally for Democrat Beto O’Rourke.

The outburst, in which the man revealed he was once the victim of a school shooting, revealed students returned to school the next day even as “two people got shot.”

He added: “I have two boys in high school. They are huge athletic, muscular kids that play sports.

“They are very tough, but they cannot stop a bullet.”

The man, an owner of five guns and a lifelong democrat, said his mother, a Republican, would be voting for him.

The comment earned cheers from the crowd.

Now, I have questions.

For one, if journalists were at this event as would be needed to make this news, why did none of them speak to the man afterward? Why is he unidentified, as is the alleged school shooting he claims to endure? Even if he declined to speak with the press, there should be some signs they at least tried to get more of the story.

Honestly, this doesn’t pass the smell test. Something about this feels off on every level, and part of that is the fact that Beto is desperate and hasn’t hesitated to pull stunts in the past. Now, I don’t have any evidence that he staged this, it’s just a feeling.

And it’s possible it’s not him staging it, but someone else trying to help.

Regardless, let’s look at the claims and, for the sake of argument, take them at face value.

No, one’s big, strong, athletic sons would not be tough enough to stop a bullet. I don’t think anyone would argue otherwise. They’re also not tough enough to stop a speeding vehicle, a knife, a bomb, or a host of other potential calamities.

However, which of those are they more likely to encounter? It’s not the gun.

Yet if one is really worried about mass shootings, why is there such opposition to arming school resource officers–at a minimum, mind you–with the best firepower we can provide them for such a horrific possibility? Why are AR-15s in the hands of sworn law enforcement officers such a forbidden topic with these people?

The dad in this instance, if he’s legit, should be screaming to high heavens about protecting his big, strong boys.

After all, there are more than enough guns in circulation right now that you’re never going to get them all, even with a total gun ban. If they’re out there, some bad actor will find a way to obtain one–a lot of mass shooters steal guns from family members who could purchase them lawfully, after all–and then do horrible things.

None of Beto’s policies will stop that.

So why not protect those kids even better? Why not support that, even if you also want gun control?

Yes, I have questions as to whether this guy is legit or not, but even if he is, he’s missing a whole lot of the discussion.