Former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro unveiled his plan on Friday to combat gun violence and domestic terrorism, after a pair of shootings left several people dead in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio over the weekend.
In the plan, the Democratic presidential hopeful said he chose to unveil the plan after becoming concerned for the safety of his two children.
“As a candidate for president, this issue is not only political, it’s personal,” Castro said. “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. They should be able to grow up free from fear of hate and safe from gun violence. Their safety is our foremost responsibility.”
The domestic terrorism plan by Castro calls for a “rebalance” of investigations, creating a White House Initiative on Disarming Hate, the creation of an annual summit, and requirements for law enforcement agencies to report hate crime statistics. Castro’s plan also calls for $50 million in annual investment in programs by the Department of State to “support international coordination to disrupt…violent networks of extremism.”
In his gun violence plan, Castro pledged to sign a variety of executive orders, including an order that would direct the FBI to deny gun sales to individuals with outstanding warrants, as well as an order that would ban the import of assault weapons. Castro is also calling for universal background checks, the closing of gun sale loopholes, and a requirement to hold a license to purchase a firearm. The Democratic presidential hopeful’s full gun violence prevention plan consists of ten steps.
Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, is currently seeking the Democratic nomination for president, alongside fellow Texan Beto O’Rourke, who also recently unveiled a plan aimed at gun safety measures. Most recent polls have shown Castro holding about 1-2 percent support from the primary electorate.
To see Castro’s full plans, visit https://issues.juliancastro.com/disarming-hate/.
