Election 2020: Cory Booker Calls Gun Violence An American Problem, Argues Felon Voting Rights Distract From Mass Incarceration

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., vowed to take on gun control like “folks have never seen before,” arguing gun violence is a uniquely American problem and “we’re better than this as a country.”

During an interview with CNN’s David Axelrod, which airs at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Booker called the standard reply by politicians that our thoughts and prayers are with those who suffer tragic loss due to gun violence is “bulls---.”

Booker added, as a man of faith, words without work to support them are “dead.”

Earlier in the week, Booker unveiled a plan for a federal registry of gun owners, to include a ban on assault weapons, gun licenses, fingerprints, and proof of gun safety courses in order to buy and own weapons.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-FL, took to Twitter to condemn Booker’s plan, taking a shot at freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal at the same time. Scott was governor of Florida when a former student went to a Parkland high school and killed 17 students and staff members. The shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018 was one of 340 mass shootings in the U.S. that year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

There have been 156 deaths and another 324 wounded in mass shootings across the U.S.in 2019, according to the Mass Shooting Tracker.

Booker used his CNN forum to challenge his presidential rival, Bernie Sanders, I-VT, over his support for voting rights for convicted felons. Booker argued the voting rights issue distracted from the larger issue of mass incarceration in the U.S.