NASHUA – During his fifth visit to New Hampshire, and second to Nashua since starting his campaign for the 2020 Presidential election, Cory Booker, D-N.J., stopped at Nashua Community College Saturday to talk about his campaign.

While touching on many of his policies and plans regarding pressing issues facing the nation, Booker took questions from members of the audience on topics including Medicare for all, climate change and student loan relief. Of all the questions, one regarding school shootings from 8-year-old Massachusetts native Scout Maloney brought out a lot of emotion over the need for gun control from the presidential hopeful.

“What do you plan to do about the school shootings?” asked Maloney, who told Booker she and her brother Huck don’t attend public school.

“One of the reasons that we’re home-schooled is that my mom thinks that it’s not safe for children to be in public schools because of the shootings,” she added. “I want to know what you plan to do about the shootings?”

Booker addressed the question, vaguely referencing the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that took place on Sept. 15, 1963, and other tragic incidents after which the country worked as a whole to change laws helping to ensure public safety.

“There was a time before you and I were born that four little girls died in a church bombing,” Booker said. “It was a hateful act, and the whole country responded, and they changed laws to try to prevent that from happening.”

While lamenting the recent gun-violence trend, Booker promised the young girl that he had a plan better than other candidates to put an end to gun violence while allowing parents and children to no longer fear for their safety.

“This is what I promise you, is that if I am your president, I will lead the charge to end this nightmare, so your parents don’t have to fear for you, or when children come home having done active shooter drills; that is something that is a relic of the past,” Booker said to Maloney.

While talking to the media afterward, Booker said his gun-violence plan will include a proposed national gun licensing program that will help to put an end to the epidemic by passing true gun safety measures through Congress.

“It is a national crisis,” he said of the rise in gun violence.

“It’s common sense for us to have a license to drive a car, it should be common sense to be able to purchase and own a firearm to have a license,” Booker added. “We know this because in states that have done this, there has been a drop in violence.”

With one attendee asking about climate change, Booker said he is going to use every tool allowed to him, including leveraging trade deals and ensuring allies – including those in NATO – make climate change as a top priority.

“I’m going to make sure that we as a nation use our foreign policy in totality. …,” he said. “We should have every presidential candidate talking about using every other tool as a commander in chief.”

While talking about the Affordable Care Act – which is currently in jeopardy under the current administration – Booker said it was a step in the right direction; however, he plans to create a vibrant public option and to create a cost-efficiency system in order to drive down cost.

“We’re going to take a very big step or leap forward in expanding access, improving quality and lowering cost,” he said.

Mathew Plamondon can be reached at 594-1244 or mplamondon@nashuatelegraph.com, @telegraph_MatP.

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