WASHINGTON – Following a series of fatal mass shootings across the country,Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sept. 10 introduced the Federal Firearm Licensing Act.
According to a release, the legislation would require individuals to obtain a firearm license from the Department of Justice (DOJ) before purchasing or receiving a firearm.
Also on that day, the House Committee on the Judiciary was set to consider its version of Booker’s Keep Americans Safe Act of 2019, introduced in February, which would ban high-capacity magazines.
“We’re in the midst of a national gun violence crisis that is ravaging our country,” Booker stated. “The consequences of continued congressional inaction are deadly. There have been more mass shootings this year than number of days — we cannot continue to accept this shameful status quo. While the world moves on to the next news cycle, the victims and their loved ones in places like El Paso and San Bernardino and Parkland and Las Vegas are stuck living with their pain and suffering every single day. We owe it to them, and all victims of gun violence, to do our jobs and pass meaningful gun safety measures that will make our communities safer.”
“This bill is based on a very simple concept — if you need a license to drive a car, you should need a license to buy and possess a gun,” Booker added.
Several studies have seen licensing laws reduce gun violence in states that have enacted them. There are 14 states, including New Jersey, that require a license or permit for firearms.
New Jersey, which ranks near the bottom in the number of gun deaths per capita each year, as a result of the state’s common-sense gun safety laws, implemented the measure in 2018.
After Connecticut passed a law requiring the licensing of firearms, the state saw its gun homicide rate decrease by 40 percent and its gun suicide rate decreased by 15 percent.
When Missouri repealed its firearm licensing law it saw a 25 percent increase in gun homicides and a 16 percent increase in suicides by gun.
To obtain a federal firearm license, the Federal Firearm Licensing Act would require the following:
Certification that the individual completed firearm safety training, which must include a written test and hands-on training to ensure safe use and accuracy
Completion of a criminal history background check
Submission of information on the firearm the person intends to obtain, including the make, model, serial number, and the identity of the firearm seller or transferor
Submission of fingerprints, proof of identity, and verification that the individual is at least 21-years-old
The federal firearm license required by this bill must be renewed every five years, at which point the applicant would have to go through a background check and undergo firearm safety training again.
The bill contains a mechanism for the Department of Justice to revoke a license if the individual poses a danger to himself/herself or others.
It would also require the DOJ to regularly conduct checks to ensure that individuals are in compliance with the federal license requirements.
