The White House issued talking points to Republican allies shortly after Sunday night’s deadly mass-shooting in Las Vegas, asking them to articulate an uncompromising view of gun owners’ rights.
The messaging guide, obtained by NBC News, offers a glimpse into how the Trump administration aims to quell new demands for strict gun control laws in the wake of the massacre.
‘[W]e welcome this debate,’ one talking point reads, ‘but in the wake of Sunday night’s tragedy, we shouldn’t rush toward compromising our freedoms before we have all the facts.’
Democrats in Congress have already demanded the creation of a special legislative committee to address gun violence, and asked for a law banning the sale ogf gun suppressors, also known as ‘silencers.’
The Trump administration rushed anti-gun-control talking points to Republican allies after a cfrazed gunman killed 59 people Sunday night in Las Vegas
Photos have emerged of two of the 23 firearms found in Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock’s hotel room. The weapon on the left has a bump stock added to make it fully automatic, a scope for accuracy and an oversize magazine to hold more ammunition. The weapon on the right has markings indicating it was made by Daniel Defense, a bipod for stability, and a telescopic lens
The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees ‘the right to bear arms’ – a broad mandate that courts ave interpreted as a nearly unfettered license to own firearms.
The White House’s communications team crafted a set of arguments sending a message that the president won’t budge on Democrats’ attempts to roll those rights back.
‘The President believes that our founding principles, like freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the right to bear arms must be protected while maintaining public safety,’ they read.
‘And when it comes to gun control, let’s be clear: new laws won’t stop a mad man committed to harming innocent people. They will curtail the freedoms of law abiding citizens.’
Trump sent a slightly more nuanced signal on Tuesday morning, telling reporters that ‘we’ll be talking about gun laws as time goes by.’
The president offered an uncompromising, iron-clad defense of the Second Amendment when he campaigned for the White House.
Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist in the West Wing, told the Axios news website on Tuesday that the idea of Trump embracing gun control is ‘impossible’ to think, and would ‘be the end of everything’ – eroding his political base past the point of repair.
The White House intended to muddy the waters in the wake of the Las Vegas murders, drawing comparisons with terrorists who have committed attacks ‘with knives, by people driving cars into crowds, and hijacking airplanes.’
‘And some of America’s cities with the strictest gun laws hsave the highest rates of gun violence,’ the talking points continued.
‘Examples include: Chicago last year had over 4,300 shooting victims. Baltimore last year had over 900 shooting victims.’
‘This shows that more laws on the books may not work,’ the White House added.
‘The problems in these cities and many others isn’t too few gun laws.’
President Trump will visit Las Vegas on Wednesday.