U.S. Sen. Cory Booker on Monday released a sweeping plan to curb gun violence by creating a national licensing program and repealing a law that gives gun manufacturers legal immunity, becoming the latest Democrat in the 2020 presidential race to make gun control measures a feature of their campaign.
In the past, Democrats have feared that supporting gun restrictions could cost them the backing of working-class, swing voters — the group widely credited with tipping the 2016 presidential contest to Republican Donald Trump.
After dozens of mass shootings in recent years, however, including at schools like the February 2018 massacre in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead, curbing gun violence has become a component of the Democratic policy platform embraced by congressional and presidential candidates.