New Senate Bill Would Turn Second Amendment Into a Permission Slip

Democrat U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D–N.J.) and Andy Kim (D–N.J.) are once again attempting to resurrect the so-called Federal Firearm Licensing Act, a sweeping proposal that would require Americans to obtain a federal license before they could legally purchase, possess, or receive a firearm.

The bill, introduced last week, barrels past the Second Amendment with little regard for constitutional limits, instead racing toward a framework of nationwide gun control. While the senators’ press release frames the proposal as a “commonsense” public safety measure, the text of the legislation reveals a sprawling and vaguely defined regulatory scheme that would dramatically expand federal oversight of lawful gun ownership.

Under the proposal, it would be illegal for any individual to “purchase, receive, or possess a firearm unless the individual has a valid federal firearm purchasing license.” In effect, the bill flips the long-standing presumption of a constitutional right on its head—turning gun ownership into a government-granted privilege.

Obtaining such a license would be anything but simple. The legislation lays out a burdensome and open-ended list of requirements that applicants must satisfy, including:

• Completion of unspecified training requirements, including hands-on instruction, a written exam, demonstrated knowledge of constantly changing firearms laws, and undefined accuracy or proficiency testing

• Submission to a loosely defined background investigation and criminal history check

• Proof of identity

• Mandatory fingerprinting

• Reapplication for the license every five years

• Disclosure of the make, model, serial number, and seller information for each firearm purchased

• Automatic revocation of the license if the government determines the individual “poses a danger” to themselves or others

• Ongoing FBI compliance checks

• Notification to unspecified “relevant law enforcement agencies” upon any future sale or transfer of the firearm

• A waiting period of up to 30 days for approval or denial

And that list is explicitly non-exhaustive.

Taken together, these provisions amount to a de facto federal gun registry—something lawmakers have long claimed they oppose—while also erecting financial, bureaucratic, and legal barriers that would make lawful firearm ownership unattainable for many Americans.

The bill goes even further by limiting each license to the purchase of a single firearm, which must be bought within 30 days of issuance. In other words, gun owners would be required to repeatedly seek federal permission for each individual purchase, indefinitely.

Sen. Booker attempted to justify the proposal with a comparison that ignores constitutional reality altogether. “If a license is required to drive a car, it should be required to own a gun,” he said in a press release—conveniently omitting any mention of the Second Amendment, as well as the extensive hurdles embedded in the bill itself.

Unsurprisingly, the legislation is fully aligned with the goals of well-funded anti-gun advocacy groups such as Giffords and the Community Justice Action Fund, both of which are prominently quoted in the senators’ announcement.

All currently listed cosponsors hail from states already known for aggressive anti-gun policies, including Hawaii, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California—jurisdictions where lawmakers have long sought to restrict firearm ownership through regulation rather than address violent crime at its source.

While supporters label the Federal Firearm Licensing Act as “commonsense,” its real-world impact would be anything but. The bill represents yet another attempt to normalize federal control over a constitutionally protected right—using layers of regulation, delay, and discretion to achieve what outright bans cannot. At 2 If By Sea Tactical, we’ll continue to call these efforts what they are: an assault on the Second Amendment dressed up as public safety.

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