Estimated studying time: 3 minutes
Final week, Senate Democrats reintroduced one of the crucial sweeping federal gun management proposals in years.
U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim introduced again the Federal Firearm Licensing Act, a invoice that may require People to acquire a federal firearm license earlier than buying, receiving, and even possessing a firearm.
We should reject division and hate. The ties that bind us are a lot stronger than the strains that divide us. pic.twitter.com/93zzcmdIOa
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) December 19, 2025
Supporters are calling it “commonsense.” Gun homeowners will acknowledge it for what it’s: a nationwide permission slip system enforced by the Division of Justice.
In line with the invoice textual content, it could be illegal for any particular person to buy, obtain, or possess a firearm with no legitimate federal firearm buying license issued by the Lawyer Basic.
That license wouldn’t be a one-time deal. It will require:
Necessary firearms coaching, together with a written take a look at and live-fire testing Fingerprints, proof of identification, and a full background investigation Disclosure of the precise firearm being bought, together with make, mannequin, and serial quantity Approval or denial inside 30 days License expiration after 5 years A license legitimate for one firearm solely
In different phrases, each gun would require its personal federal license, issued earlier than the switch can happen.
The invoice goes even additional. It permits the Lawyer Basic to disclaim or revoke a license if the applicant is deemed a “vital hazard” to themselves or others, primarily based on an extended record of subjective standards. These embrace prior arrests with out conviction, alleged drug or alcohol abuse, previous restraining orders, and even current firearm purchases.
As soon as revoked, the federal government should guarantee firearms are faraway from the person. They usually can solely be returned if the license is reinstated.
The laws additionally mandates ongoing FBI “Rap Again” monitoring, that means license holders can be repeatedly checked for brand new data or contacts. Non-public firearm transfers must undergo a federally licensed seller, and all gross sales would should be reported to the Lawyer Basic inside three enterprise days.
Booker in contrast firearm possession to driving a automobile, arguing that licensing saves lives. The invoice is endorsed by Giffords and the Neighborhood Justice Motion Fund. It’s co-sponsored by a number of high-profile Senate Democrats.
What supporters don’t point out is how this framework collides head-on with the Supreme Court docket’s Bruen commonplace, which rejects discretionary licensing schemes and calls for historic analogues for contemporary gun rules.
There isn’t any Founding-era custom of requiring People to hunt federal permission, not to mention repeated permission, to train a constitutional proper.
Whether or not the invoice advances or stalls, its introduction issues. It indicators the place gun management efforts are heading subsequent. Not simply regulating gross sales, however conditioning possession itself on federal approval.
That is one to observe intently.
*** Purchase and Promote on GunsAmerica! ***
