March For Our Lives, No Longer Protesting In Streets, Unveils Gun Control Plan
Hogg says the multipoint plan his group is offering has three desired outcomes: Reduce gun deaths by 50% over the next decade, push for a "higher standard" for gun ownership in the U.S. and pressure federal officials to enact more laws to protect Americans from gun violence.
If the plan is enacted in full, an estimated 200,000 American lives could be saved over 10 years, according to the proposal.
The plan also calls for enacting extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), commonly referred to as "red flag" laws. Passed in several states since Parkland, they give law enforcement, and in some cases family members, an avenue to petition a court to have firearms temporarily taken away from someone who is a risk to themselves or others.
According to a recent
poll, 77% of Americans support ERPOs initiated by family members, while a slightly smaller majority, 70%, support such protection orders initiated by law enforcement.
Under the group's proposal for a licensing program, in addition to a prospective buyer passing a background check, law enforcement agencies would conduct in-person interviews, check the buyer's personal references and ensure that the gun purchaser passes a safety training course.
Licenses would be renewed annually upon completion of those requirements. And on top of that, there's an annual fee that "any responsible gun owner would pay into the national licensing system for the ability to possess and use firearms," according to the proposal.
"Being able to go back and have those periodic checks is really important," says Eve Levenson, the federal affairs manager for March for Our Lives, likening the renewals to those for driver's licenses.
Lawrence Keane of the National Sports Shooting Foundation, a gun industry trade organization, disagrees. He sees establishing a federal gun license program as unnecessary since the Second Amendment affords Americans the "right to bear arms."
"You don't need a license from the government in order to exercise your constitutional right," says Keane, who adds he finds the proposals "deeply troubling."
The group is also pushing for the creation of a gun czar, who would report directly to the president. The proposal also calls for a national gun buyback program, imposing higher fees on bulk firearms and ammunition purchases and a prohibition on gun and ammunition sales and transfers conducted online.
