2020 Ideas Festival: Buy Assault Weapons Back From Owners

For this installment of our 2020 Ideas Festival, California congressman and democratic presidential candidate Eric Swalwell talks about his buyback plan to get assault weapons off the street.

@ericswalwell's plan: ATF administers a buyback, over the course of 2 years. If you want to keep your assault rifle, you would have to keep it at a shooting range or club. It's about keeping assault weapons "out of our communities."-The Brian Lehrer Show (@brianlehrer)

With 15 million assault rifles out there, a buyback program would cost about $15 billion, @ericswalwell estimates-The Brian Lehrer Show (@brianlehrer)

"You look at the midterms, it was jobs, healthcare, gun safety. We don't need to be afraid to talk about this." @ericswalwell said of the politics of passing gun control measures-The Brian Lehrer Show (@brianlehrer)

@ericswalwell's proposal focuses on assault weapons because of the mental health toll they take on students, the California rep says-The Brian Lehrer Show (@brianlehrer)