Cory Booker On Guns: 'It's A False Debate' (VIDEO)

Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker (D) is secure in his beliefs on guns, thanks to some first-hand experience.

In a Sunday appearance on ABC's "This Week," Booker delivered an emotional argument for more gun control, highlighting personal tragedy in the process.

"I don't know if anybody here has seen anybody shot," Booker said. "I have. I don't know if anybody here has had to put their hand in somebody's chest and try to stop the bleeding so somebody doesn't die, I have."

Booker then tied that experience to America's current debate, calling the fight against tighter restrictions "false."

"What frustrates me about this debate is it's a false debate, it's a false debate," Booker said. "This is a convenient trick to try to divide our country more. Most of us in America, including gun owners, agree on things that would stop the kind of carnage that's going on in cities all over America."

The mayor's comments were made minutes apart from those of National Rifle Association Chief Wayne LaPierre, who advocated for armed guards in schools.

"I know there's a media machine in this country that wants to blame guns every time something happens," LaPierre said. "I know there's an anti-Second Amendment industry in this town," referring to Washington.

In a Friday blog for The Huffington Post, Booker unveiled a set of gun reform ideas, including universal background checks and tighter anti-trafficking laws. The mayor also announced Thursday that he would be exploring a 2014 U.S. Senate run.