The White House will not release a photo of President Trump signing a resolution that let thousands of mentally ill people gain access to guns.
Trump signed the resolution in February, rolling back a regulation put in place in the final weeks of the Obama administration placing new restrictions on gun ownership by people with mental illness.
He quietly signed it at a time when the White House was making a show of other legislation and even executive orders that Trump signed, such as the president’s travel ban that got hung up in the courts.
WHITEWASH: The White House won’t release a photo of Trump signing a resolution to let more mentally ill people buy guns, but it did release this one of him signing a directive to impose tariffs on imported washing machines
The Social Security Administration was required to submit the names of people who get disability benefits and have a mental illness to a background check database for gun purchases.
The press was not invited in for the signing. CBS News asked the White House for an image after the event, but was denied.
Students are evacuated by police out of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., after a shooting on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018
DISTURBING: Trump tweeted that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed. He signed a resolution that rolled back an Obama regulation adding mentally ill people on disability to a no-buy database
In April, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders replied to their request saying: ‘We don’t plan to release the picture at this time,’ confirming that a picture exists.
Trump signed another bill that same day: the Waters of the United States bill. For that signing, the White House staged a photo-op and invited in reporters and photographers.
President Obama pushed for the rule change following the Sandy Hook massacre. Trump campaigned on gun rights, warning that rival Hillary Clinton might take people’s guns away, and was a top recipient of funds from the National Rifle Association.
Medical personnel tend to a victim outside of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., after a shooting on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018
Trump tweeted after the Florida shooting this week: ‘So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed.’
In a White House speech Thursday, Trump blamed ‘the difficult issue of mental health’ for a deadly massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida less than a day earlier.
WELL WELL WELL: President Donald Trump signs an executive order on Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy after signing it in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, April 28, 2017. The press was allowed in for the signing – but it wasn’t for the gun regulation
Candles, flowers and stuffed animals serve as a memorial for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018.n A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured
The president made no mention of gun control, or of the AR-15 rifle that Nikolas Cruz used to mow down dozens of students and teachers, including at least 17 who lost their lives.
Cruz bought the firearm legally at a gun shop in February 2017.
‘Yesterday a school filled with innocent children and caring teachers became the scene of terrible violence, hatred and evil,’ he said underneath the portrait of George Washington in the White House’s Diplomatic Reception room.