May 6 (UPI) — Presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker unveiled a sweeping gun violence prevention plan Monday that includes federal licensing of gun ownership.
The New Jersey Democrat’s plan involves use of executive action to close loopholes in gun sale and possession laws and investments in communities affected by gun violence. It calls for gun permits valid for up to five years and mandatory FBI background checks of potential gun buyers.
Booker also seeks a ban on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and bump stocks, as well as federal protections for domestic partners of identified abusers. Current law does not offer protections to partners who are not spouses.
“My plan to address gun violence is simple — we will make it harder for people who should not have a gun to get one,” Booker said in a statement. “I am sick and tired of hearing thoughts and prayers for the communities that have been shattered by gun violence — it is time for bold action.”
Booker said Monday that he witnessed the impact of gun violence while serving as mayor of Newark, N.J.
“This is a bigger issue in America where we’re not approaching it or taking it on in proportion to the gravity of the consequences of our inaction,” Booker told CBS This Morning.
Only nine states, including New Jersey, require a license or permit to own at least a handgun. Booker’s proposal calls for a fee, paperwork, a photo, fingerprints and an interview, all administered by the FBI, as well as mandatory gun safety training, before a license for gun ownership is issued. The plan would also allow states to set stronger requirements for a license.
The plan would establish a national database to track guns and their owners and a purchasing limit of one handgun per month per person.
