Cory Booker Smacks Pete Buttigieg For Opposing Gun Confiscations

Sen. Cory Booker called out one of his Democratic presidential opponents Monday for opposing gun confiscations.

“Calling buyback programs ‘confiscation’ is doing the [National Rifle Association’s] work for them, [South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg] — and they don’t need our help,” Booker said in a tweet targeting Buttigieg, who told reporters that a mandatory gun buyback is akin to confiscation. 

Calling buyback programs “confiscation” is doing the NRA’s work for them, @PeteButtigieg—and they don’t need our help. https://t.co/eshiBU7PIg

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 14, 2019

The New Jersey Democrat’s tweet was in response to an interview Buttigieg gave Monday in which he criticized former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s idea to craft a mandatory gun buyback.

“I get it. He needs to pick a fight in order to stay relevant,” Buttigieg said in response to a question about O’Rourke’s barbs against his political strategy. The South Bend mayor also described O’Rourke’s gun regulatory ideas as a dangerous type of “confiscation.” 

O’Rourke used the Democratic debate in September to drum up pressure on credit card companies to refuse gun purchases to Americans. He is struggling to gain traction in a crowded field of Democrats seeking the presidency.

Booker, for his part, has issued several gun control ideas, including licensing, registration and an “assault weapon” ban, but has been reticent to call for a ban on firearms or handguns.