AP Photo/Steven Senne

Cory Booker has decided to make gun control a central part of his platform as he runs for president, basically stealing the anti-gun spotlight from Rep. Eric “Nuke ’em All” Swalwell. As Booker is a far more viable candidate, this will likely sink Swalwell’s bid in the long term while giving Booker something to hang his campaign’s hat on well ahead of the first primaries.

Part of Booker’s plan, however, seems to be all about targetting political enemies. In particular, the National Rifle Association.

Democratic presidential candidate and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker is promising to investigate the NRA’s tax-exempt status if he becomes president.

Booker wrote a column in New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor Sunday in which he promises “the most comprehensive gun violence prevention plan in decades – and brings the fight to the NRA like never before.”

The senator also plans to unleash the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against the pro-Second Amendment organization.

“Beginning on Day One of my presidency, I’ll take action to close dangerous loopholes in gun sales, crack down on unscrupulous dealers and gun manufacturers, and invest in communities impacted by gun violence. And I am immediately calling on the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the NRA’s tax status to determine whether the self-dealing and other activities recently reported in the press should lead to revocation of its tax-exempt status,” he wrote.

The idea that he’s admitting to targetting an ideological opponent with governmental action should be troubling, and not just to gun rights supporters. Even the Left should be worried.

If Booker were to be elected president, which isn’t likely to happen, he’s admitting that he’d use the power of the presidency to order a federal agency to target a group that opposes him.

The idea that the NRA should be targeted by the Internal Revenue Service and essentially shut down–something anti-gunners have been advocating for weeks now–would set a precedent that no one should want to see. After all, there won’t always be a Democrat in power. What if the next Republican decides to return the favor?

Goodbye Planned Parenthood. So long, Brady. Hasta la vista Southern Poverty Law Center.

Now, some of these wouldn’t exactly break my heart, but I don’t want them to disappear because governmental agencies targeted them. I want them to disappear because the public no longer wants to support their ridiculous efforts. That’s it.

If Booker gets his way, the door is open on this. The gloves come off, and all else becomes fair game.

That should scare the hell out of anyone.

However, it should be noted that Booker’s not the first to think this is a good idea. It’s not like the IRS hasn’t targeted groups the president opposes before.