It’s tough to stay relevant in a twenty-way race for the Democratic presidential nomination that’s marked by provocative and far-left ideas, especially when enacting constitutionally suspect gun control.
But don’t ever say U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) doesn’t give it his best effort. His latest gun control proposal ignores basic constitutional protections of Creator-endowed rights and the racist history of the left’s favorite gun control ideas.
Recently, Sen. Booker tweeted “If you need a license to drive a car, you should need a license to buy and possess a gun. Some states are doing this already — and it saves lives.”
If you need a license to drive a car, you should need a license to buy and possess a gun. Some states are doing this already—and it saves lives.
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) August 24, 2019
Licensing Rights
This proposal has been echoed repeatedly by many presidential candidates so far in this cycle. That’s right. They want you to be licensed by the government to exercise a right for which the U.S. Constitution explicitly forbids the federal government infringement.
The first flaw in the senator’s thinking is that such an infringement on the Second Amendment is saving lives. The city of Chicago, for example, requires gun owners to license themselves via the Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card. If what Sen. Booker had said were actually true, then Chicago would not “consistently (have) more total killings than any other U.S. city” with 27 people killed in the first two weeks of August.
Booker’s statement is not only wrong, but it is also incredibly hypocritical. Earlier this month, the New Jersey senator took to Twitter again to suggest repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which protects the firearms industry from frivolous lawsuits that attempt to hold manufacturers liable for the criminal misuse of a lawfully sold, non-defective firearm.
Gun manufacturers should be held accountable for their role in our nation’s gun violence epidemic. We need to end legal immunity and help survivors of gun violence seek justice. https://t.co/LE7pBkx6Ku pic.twitter.com/4v6tWL8nrA
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) August 20, 2019
Such attempts to assert liability without any basis in law are preposterous and applied to no other industry. Courts, and everyday Americans, recognize the absurdity of allowing someone who is the victim of a drunk driving accident to sue the manufacturer of the car a drunk driver was operating at the time of the crash.
In other words, Sen. Booker wants to treat law-abiding gun owners like licensed drivers but at the same time hold the firearms manufacturers of America to a level of legal liability not ever considered for any other industry.
Sen. Booker clearly does not understand the difference between a constitutionally protected right and state requirements for using public roads. Bearing arms is an inalienable right in this country and a law that would require the government to license who can arm themselves and with what is a direct attack on our rights.
Gun Control’s Racist Roots
It doesn’t end there. Sen. Booker should know the racist history of the gun licensing scheme that arose in the Jim Crow-era South to ensure African-Americans wouldn’t be able to exercise and enjoy their God-given rights. In fact, Frederick Douglass, the famed abolitionist who challenged slavery and racism, railed against state and local infringement of gun rights for African Americans just one month after the Confederacy’s surrender.
State Supreme Courts recognized many of the gun control laws that emerged and grew beyond the South were drafted with the “purpose of disarming” African Americans.
Today, co-founder of Black Guns Matter, Maj Toure, takes his message to inner cities that suffer high crime and explains the racist roots of gun control actually predate America. They were present in French colonial Louisiana. Toure said the “the first gun control rules pop off in Virginia” after Emancipation.
Condoleeza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State, recently defended gun rights on The View, reminding viewers that neither Alabama’s Gov. “Bull” Connor nor Birmingham police would protect African Americans. She explained her father and his friends would fire guns in the air when Ku Klux Klan and “night riders” would threaten their neighborhood.
“I’m sure if Bull Connor had known where those guns were, he would have rounded them up,” she said. “So I don’t favor some things like gun registration.”
Fortunately, America’s millions of law-abiding gun owners will prove at the ballot box that we cannot be swayed by illogical talking points, no matter how frequently they are parroted by out of touch politicians who ignore our constitution and our history.
Larry Keane is SVP for Government and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel at National Shooting Sports Foundation.
The Dem candidates are trying to out-left one another.
Looks like they’re going full retard.
It’s good that they are. After Trump wins in a landslide hopefully most regular democrats will see the error of their ways. Hopefully.
https://youtu.be/X6WHBO_Qc-Q
I’m not that optimistic. Also not optimistic that the republicans will be any better prepared in 2024.
Cruz would be my pick at the moment as he has been the least inconsistent. Rubio peed himself in lining up with the dems and Jeb evidently didn’t want the job.
We shall see.
They’re going out of their minds…random shit is just falling out of their mouths…
Ignorance is Strength, and Booker is very strong in this way.
Having a license for a gun would be like having a license for a car, if radical Earth First advocates ran the DMV, and were determined to ban all private ownership of cars.
The longer the lefties keep this up the more they scare the people who aren’t committed to them. Most of the people who would vote for a moderate Democrat are turned off by the extremist left, so the longer they take and the crazier they sound, the less likely any of them are to beat Trump.
“Most of the people who would vote for a moderate Democrat are turned off by the extremist left, so the longer they take and the crazier they sound, the less likely any of them are to beat Trump.”
A few more mass shootings should take care of any reluctance by – LOL – “moderate Democrats”.
Violating the constitution is no longer negative at all for them.Their avant-garde are positing that the constitution is an evil rich white man device designed to prevent social progress and keep marginalized communities oppressed.
I thought Illinois’ FOID card was struck down already as unconstitutional earlier this year. Why is it still be referred to in several areas (including the author above) as in force and applicable?
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/judge-finds-state-law-unconstitutional
It was ruled unconstitutional by a state court judge at the trial level. It’s being appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court. If it makes it all the way to SCOTUS, it should be interesting..
The lower courts will bless the law and as usual the Supreme Court will refuse to hear the case. It is pre-ordained. History has already proven it.
Even if the Supreme Court does hear the case they will give us another anti-gun ruling like in the Heller and McDonald cases.
“Fortunately, America’s millions of law-abiding gun owners will prove at the ballot box that we cannot be swayed by illogical talking points, no matter how frequently they are parroted by out of touch politicians who ignore our constitution and our history.”
I agree. However, the real question is how many of America’s millions who ARE influenced by the parroted talking points of authoritarian politicians also show up to vote.
it’s impossible to be relevant as a candidte Democratic presidential nomination in 2019.
Fixed it for you.
Booker is certainly a contender “dumbest guy in a room that does not contain Sleepy Stupid Uncle Joe or Beatoff O’Rourke”
If Voter ID laws are unconstitutional, on multiple grounds then so are Gun Owner ID laws – for the exact same reasons.
Too bad passing Unconsitutional laws is not illegal.
The FOID requirement applies to every gun owner in Illinois. There are currently about 2.2 million cards out there.
The analogy with a driver’s license is completely false. It does not allow one to own a car but to drive on the public streets. If you have a 200 acre farm, you can drive around it all day.
i had a truck like that once.
Spartacus is a doofus. Nothing to add…and Haz-ILLinois pols ignore the law you peon.
Oh, okay. Thanks for the mature and adult response.
Moron…
Now that two generations of Americans have been thoroughly indoctrinated by the education system, grifterd like Booker are finding a receptive audience for their social and legal insanity.
I have a required California “Firearm Safety Certificate” that is 4 years old, so I’ll have to renew it next year. The only requirement is a written test and $25. The older booklet I used has 4 sections: General safety, handgun operation, long gun operation, and CA firearm law.
After reading the booklet carefully the first time, I asked myself, which stuff will be emphasized on the exam? I guessed correctly. It’s mostly questions on the B-S Cal. firearms laws. They don’t really care if you know how to actually handle the firearm safely and properly, contrary to the current Dem talking points.
By submitting, agreeing and carrying to their regulation they have legal basis to screw you if you step out of line.
My last certificate (called the BFSC back then – Basic Firearms Safety Cert) was in the early ’90s when it had been recently implemented. At the time, it was required for handgun purchases from an FFL, and there was no mention of any expiration or sunset date. That juicy little bit of inconvenience came later.
So I guess my BFSC – still in my documents safe – is worthless today. No matter…I haven’t bought a gun since I got that cert, anyway. Inherited or built all the others since, and will never buy in CA again.
Oh, and I’ve learned that I won’t pass our new ammo ‘quick check’ anyhow, since the new registration database goes back to 1996. I’ve been owning, shooting, building, and training for three decades, but CADOJ doesn’t trust me to buy a box of .22LR ammo anymore without their permission and a fee.
Since the Constitution’s creation, there have been 33 amendments. All other laws that aren’t official amendments are, by definition, unconstitutional.
99% of politicians and lawyers don’t care what the Constitution says.
Mystery solved.
Last I checked, there are only 27 Amendments, with the last one ratified in 1992. Please clarify.
A nice bit of trivia: The original Bill of Rights contained twelve for consideration, not ten. The first one was defeated, the second was tabled and forgotten, and the third thru twelfth were passed and ratified. They became our First thru Tenth Amendments. The second that was tabled? It finally resurfaced and was ratified in 1992 to become our 27th and (so far) final Amendment.
So the 27th was the original 2nd.
Rice is a dirt bag elitist talking out of both sides of her mouth. She just repeated the “I support the second amendment but—“
They won’t do shit about illegals invading the country but are all about passing laws on citizens doing nothing wrong and exercising their rights.
A license to purchase and own a gun is already a universal standard. It weeds out tens of thousands of criminals and nut cases and has proven its worth in history many times over in other countries and long overdue in the U.S.
You would think even the Neanderthals of the Far Right would see its worth because when there is less criminals and nut cases getting guns there is way less call to ban them altogether, but this is way over the head of the mental midgets of the Far Right.
If you are not a revolutionary, criminal or nut case what do you have to worry about? Lets face facts owning a gun that is unregistered in reality has no advantages because if you are banned from owning it because of committing some crime or if a certain type of firearm becomes restricted just having it puts you at great risk of being found out and imprisoned or worse being liquidated by a sudden police raid on your domicile. The police know that when it comes to illegal guns that anyone they liquidate will have no sympathy from the general public , the majority of which do not own guns and fear them.
As far as Constitutional Rights are concerned, even if the Second Amendment would have been written differently and in clear irrefutable language that guaranteed gun ownership the Constitution would still give you zero rights no matter what it said because the Supreme Court in the past has blasphemed even the basic rights of minorities and made them second class citizens in order to pander to public opinion and prejudices. Even slavery and school segregation were blessed by the courts at one time and since the corrupt courts got away with those outrageous crimes , gun rights would not even come in a distant last.
A license system “weeds out the criminals”? So a person with an intent to commit a crime gets turned down for a license and just gives up, and stays in bed that day to contemplate the error of his ways?
That’s farcical, even for you, Vladdie.
What is so farcical about lying and making things up and changing the past so people like you will give and start supporting gun control? When the 2020 election starts I will use my Jedi powers to convince all of the so called POTG to voter for the Hairy Kameltow and after she takes all your guns you will be like Wow What Happened? and I will get so much free stuff you wont believe how much free stuff she will give me.
Master Troll Level 87 achieved!
Well done. You have unlocked the Fairy Queen’s vault and now possess a chain mail upgrade. Your armor is increased +2.
Keep playing.
If you leftists weren’t so myopic about guns you would get the racist laws that prevent the millions of non-citizens, who are persons living in the US for years, from buying guns. They exist in the same grey legal status as freedmen before the civil war, granted some rights by States but denied others by other States and the Federal government. Once all the illegals are legally armed it will be functionally impossible to send them back. Then it’s a short hop, skip, and a jump to get them voting rights and then citizenship. Then you will have your permanent leftist majority forever. You guys almost got it done once with United States v. Meza-Rodriguez.
https://thinkprogress.org/gun-rights-win-a-major-victory-in-federal-court-and-thats-actually-a-good-thing-a25692714603/
Our newly won Socialist Soldiers grow more numerous every day. The Nation now has a shortage of workers and the Republican Corrupt Businessmen are enticing as many illegals as they can to enter the country to be used as slave labor which swells our Socialist Ranks of abused and mistreated and starved workers by the Gangster Republican Criminals.. But this has been standard corrupt Republican procedure for decades its nothing new.
We have won over the younger generation as well especially after the horrific Florida massacre.
The Republicans have even refused Federal Funds for school safety improvements which has helped us win over the younger generation immensely. With a new generation of young Socialists to enhance our ranks as well as an entire army of new immigrants flocking to our cause its only a matter of time before the legislatures will be packed with our young Comrades that will help us form a new Socialist State and finally bring civilization to the U.S.
Vote Socialist in 2020 and feel the Bern. Bernie Sanders that is who is a Socialist for everyone.
I just watched a documentary movie about how this happened in the 60s it is called “Wild in the Streets” and you should watch it to educate yourself so you give up and do not even bother to vote in 2020 and after I learn how to play guitar I will be Max Frost and the Hairy Kameltow will ask me to her co-president and will will live together in the White House forever.
And Bernie Sanders will come over and we will have chai tea and we will not be mad at each other because we will be toooo busy taking all your guns.
Master Troll Level 88 achieved!
Well done. You have mastered the skill of impersonating yourself with multiple personas. Your stamina is increased +1 and your health +1.
Keep playing.
Yo, lying shit for brains! I first bought a gun in 1959, when I was 13, and last bought a gun in 2018, and I have NEVER had a license to purchase a gun. Not for one day in my life. Your post is a complete and total lie, you are a liar and a troll, not to mention a moron and a piece of shit. I hope we are clear. So much for “universal standard”, you idiot.
Wrong.
You do NOT need a license to own a car. Upu need a license to operate one on public roads. You can own as many cars as you please on your property without a license, or registration, or insurance.
I already need a license to carry my firearm in public, same as operating a vehicle. A man who is paid to be a LAWMAKER should probably be more familiar with the law.
Why do I need a license to drive a car?
Well, getting a license to drive a car is pretty easy. It’s pretty much done on a shall-issue basis. And when you get that license, you can take your car anywhere. You can even take it to another state, which will honor your license. And you don’t need to go through a background check to buy a car.
So, Mr. Booker, are you willing to go with full parity here?
Larry, you are right about the liscence comparison- driving is a priviledge, gun ownership is a right. Senator Booker’s better comparison is the first amendment restrictions. If common sense fails you, I urge you to dig deep into your heart and have compassion for others- the level technologically that guns have reached is far beyond the original intent of our founding fathers, and mental illness etc. requires sober consideration. People are really hurting and have been for some time. Talk of liberty on the part of the NRA is a smoke screen for greed. We all suffer from greed- it leads to tragedy and death. I pray we all strive with God’s help to relinquish greed. Please be more objective, honoring the great responsibility God has given you as a journalist. With brotherly love and solidarity in loving America. Prayers.
Booker’s grasp of history:
Spartacus’ revoluiton failed, and he personally died of it.
If this guy had his “Spartacus moment” why are we still hearing from him?