Democratic presidential hopeful Cory Booker on Monday unveiled a sweeping plan to reduce gun violence that includes establishing a national gun licensing program, limiting individual purchases of firearms to one per month, and placing a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

The 14-point plan from the New Jersey senator, who has previously vowed to “bring a fight” to the National Rifle Association, will almost certainly face opposition from gun rights advocacy groups.

At the center of Booker’s plan is the call for gun licensing. Booker contends that if Americans need a license to drive a car they should also be required to have one to buy and possess a firearm. Currently, 13 states and the District of Columbia have enacted some form of licensing or permit rules before people can buy guns, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Washington state will begin requiring firearms safety certification permit on July 1 for individuals purchasing semi-automatic rifles.

“My plan to address gun violence is simple - we will make it harder for people who should not have a gun to get one,” Booker said.

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In recent years, efforts by Democrats to pass significant gun legislation have failed. Democrats control the House, but such legislation would seem to be a longshot in the Republican-controlled Senate, where smaller scale gun control legislation has failed in recent years.

Booker’s campaign said that national gun licensing would be similar to applying for or renewing a passport. Applicants would submit fingerprints, provide basic background information, and provide documentation that they completed a gun safety course.

The FBI would verify the requirements are met and complete a background check before issuing the federal gun license, after which an applicant could purchase and possess firearms. The license would be valid for up to five years before renewal with regular, automatic checks for non-compliance. States that already have licensing programs would be required to meet the standards set out in the plan.

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Booker, who is trailing in the polls in the early-voting 2020 primary states, unveiled his plan nearly two weeks after California Sen. Kamala Harris announced she would use executive action to push for tighter gun safety laws if elected president. Frontrunner Joe Biden in a March event at the University of Pennsylvania accused gun rights activists of the "prostitution of the Second Amendment."

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Other parts of Booker’s plan include closing the loopholes that allow domestic abusers and people on terrorist watch lists to obtain guns and calls for the IRS to investigate the NRA’s tax-exempt status.

New York Attorney General Letitia James recently confirmed that her office is probing the gun rights group’s tax-exempt status. The NRA is chartered in the state of New York.

NRA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Booker's proposal.

The Booker campaign pointed to research in Connecticut and Massachusetts that suggests that firearm licensing reduces gun-related deaths.

A 1995 Connecticut law requiring a permit or license – contingent on passing a background check – correlated with a 40% reduction in the state’s firearm-related homicide rate, according to a 2015 study by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.

In Massachusetts, which has gun licensing requirement, there are 3.6 gun deaths per 100,000 people, according to latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Neighboring New Hampshire, which does not have a licensing requirement, has a gun death rate of 9.9 per 100,000 people, according to CDC data.

“In communities across the country, from Newark to Charlotte, from San Diego to Chicago, and everywhere in between, Americans are being killed and families are being torn apart,” Booker said. “We must do better. We need to do better.“

Follow USA TODAY national political reporter Aamer Madhani on Twitter: @AamerISmad