Sen. Cory Booker, the New Jersey Democrat who has been consistently trailing the margin of error in polls for the 2020 Democratic nomination, is trying to make a splash Monday with an aggressive plan to regulate and limit gun ownership. His proposal is rooted in what he presents as a simple idea: “You need a license to drive a car, you should need one to own a gun.” But his desire to regulate guns like cars somehow only applies when it comes to placing more restrictions on gun ownership.

The analogy of treating guns like cars has long been a popular one among the anti-gun crowd because it’s a way of trying to present their ideas as reasonable. After all, people undergo a proficiency test and licensing requirements to drive cars, which, like guns, are pieces of machinery that can alternatively be used for a positive purpose or can be dangerous if misused or used maliciously.