“This was the largest anti-Latino massacre in modern U.S. history and is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism,” Castro says in the proposal. “This horrific tragedy is not an isolated incident. White nationalism is on the rise while military-grade firearms are more easily available than ever.”
On the issue of gun violence, Castro said he would take immediate action as president by signing a number of executive orders on his first day in office, including ending the firearm dealer licensing loophole, denying a gun sale to anyone with a warrant for their arrest—this is a reversal of a Trump administration rule change, the plan notes—and implementing “an immediate ban on the import of assault weapons.”
“We must change our laws to ensure dangerous individuals cannot buy a gun,” the plan continues. “Mitch McConnell is blocking common sense background checks right now in the U.S. Senate.” Changes to the laws would include a permanent assault weapons ban: “Weapons of war do not belong in communities of America. These firearms were designed with the singular purpose of inflicting mass human casualties.”
It’s one of these mass killing machines that was used by the white supremacist terrorist to kill 22 in El Paso, and, while Trump has used white supremacy to reach the White House and is using the White House to protect white supremacy, Castro would use his office to dismantle this hatred.
As president, Castro would “establish a White House Initiative on Disarming Hate to coordinate programs between the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Education, Health and Human Services, State, the intelligence community and other agencies with dedicated funding of at least $100 million a year and staff for a composite approach that centers civil liberties, privacy, transparency, and positive outreach to communities.”
Castro writes that this must also include “a rebalance of domestic terrorism investigations” to make sure white supremacy, a dire threat right now, is the focus. Castro’s plan, as with his other proposals, is detailed and available to read in full here. “My wife Erica, an educator, and I are raising a daughter and son who both have brown skin. We worry for them and their friends,” he said. “They should be able to grow up free from fear of hate and safe from gun violence.”
