Bloomberg Calls for a Nationwide Permit Before Being Able to Buy a Gun

Watch as 2020 candidate Michael Bloomberg calls for requiring citizens nationwide to obtain a permit before they can buy a gun:

Partial transcript:

BLOOMBERG: “One of the biggest problems with existing background check systems has nothing to do with the database. It contains a lot of useful information about criminal history but most of it can’t be used actually to deny a purchase and we’re going to change that by requiring buyers to obtain a permit before they purchase a gun.

Because just having a background check isn’t enough. The question is, even no matter what the background check says, can you stop them from getting a gun when they’re a minor, when they have a criminal record or when they have psychiatric problems?

This permit will allow authorities to screen applicants for dangerous behavior and I just think about you and I in our conversation before about your son four months ago being shot and killed. That includes arrests of violence like assault and domestic violence incidents and arrests for reckless behavior like driving while intoxicated.

Now, I know critics will say that an American shouldn’t need a permit to exercise their constitutional rights, but voting is a constitutional right and we require people to register to protect the rights of all citizens and this is exactly the same idea. 

Because a criminal with a gun can destroy our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Permits have worked very well in the 11 states that have adopted them, including New York, I’m happy to say”