Trump gives background check bill his tepid support

President Donald Trump is mulling legislation to strengthen existing background check and federal firearms laws in the wake of last week’s Florida massacre.

The White House says Trump has been in touch with the Republican author of a Senate bill that would provide the carrot and the stick to states and federal agencies to provide better comply with background check requirements.

‘While discussions are ongoing and revisions are being considered, the President is supportive of efforts to improve the Federal background check system,’ White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a Monday statement.

President Donald Trump, seen leaving Palm Beach on Monday, is mulling legislation to strengthen existing background check and federal firearms laws in the wake of last week’s Florida massacre

Children lay flowers at the crosses for the 17 victims for the Valentine's Day mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School today

Children lay flowers at the crosses for the 17 victims for the Valentine’s Day mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School today

This cross, seen Monday in Parkland, Florida, honors the memory of Peter Wang

This cross, seen Monday in Parkland, Florida, honors the memory of Peter Wang

Ashley Boul and Joel Robinson (L), who is an alumni of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, visit a makeshift memorial setup in front of the school on Monday

Ashley Boul and Joel Robinson (L), who is an alumni of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, visit a makeshift memorial setup in front of the school on Monday

Protestors join in on a grassroots movement during a rally against gun violence in downtown Los Angeles on Monday in response to the tragic shooting last week in Parkland

Protestors join in on a grassroots movement during a rally against gun violence in downtown Los Angeles on Monday in response to the tragic shooting last week in Parkland

The legislation that looks to ‘fix’ the National Instant Criminal Background Check System legislation has the backing of key senators on both sides of the aisle.

On the Republican side, it is being pushed by Sen. John Cornyn, the majority whip. Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut, whose state is home to Newtown, is a sponsor, as well. 

GOP Sen. James Lankford, another sponsor of the bill, said Sunday on ‘Meet the Press’ that he legislation primarily upgrades ‘our background check system to make sure that all the information is actually getting in there.’

‘We have a lot of warning signs that were out there, and people in Parkland, and all across the country, have every reason to be grieved and incredibly furious,’ Lankford said.

The senator said that Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz’s file should have reflected social service visits to his home, his expulsion from school, the violent posts he made online and warnings people who were concerned about him sent into the FBI.

‘All the warning signs were there. The community did all the things the community should do to engage. They saw something, they said something, and nothing was done,’ the Oklahoma senator said. 

Cornyn did not immediately comment on the White House’s suggestion Monday that it would be willing to get behind his bill, depending on how the finalized text is worded.

Murphy said in a tweet that the statement made for an ‘interesting morning’ and the president’s support for the legislation ‘is another sign the politics of gun violence are shifting rapidly.’

The Democrat crusader for gun control legislation also said, ‘No one should pretend this bill alone is an adequate response to this epidemic.’

President Trump celebrated his holiday with a trip to his West Palm Beach golf club after forgoing the routine that takes him from one property to the other most weekend mornings when he's in town out of respect for the Parkland shooting victims 

President Trump celebrated his holiday with a trip to his West Palm Beach golf club after forgoing the routine that takes him from one property to the other most weekend mornings when he’s in town out of respect for the Parkland shooting victims 

A progressive organization with the sole purpose of cracking down on firearms laws they see as too lax likewise said that the measure alone was not to make a dent in gun violence.

‘If all Congress does is pass the Fix NICS Act, then lawmakers will have failed to meet this moment and do their job,’ Everytown for Gun Safety said. 

The group said that Americans across the country are ‘demanding that Congress finally get serious and meet this moment with robust action to reduce gun violence’ and the Cornyn-Murphy bill ‘is a small step forward.’

‘Congress needs to do much more, starting with legislation to require criminal background checks on every gun sale — supported by 95 percent of Americans,’ the group said.

Background checks are not required when firearms are sold by private sellers, including at gun shows. The exemption has given rise to the term ‘gun show loophole’ for that reason.

Legislators unsuccessfully attempted to pass legislation in the Senate placing new restrictions on firearms sales in 2013 after a mentally ill man gunned down 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary in Murphy’s home state.

Then-President Barack Obama aggressively chased the reforms but none of the measures earned the required 60 votes in bitterly divided upper chamber.

A assault weapons ban championed by California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and background check legislation spearheaded by Sens. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, and Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, each failed.

Lashing out at his predecessor’s party on Twitter on Saturday evening, Trump said, ‘Just like they don’t want to solve the DACA problem, why didn’t the Democrats pass gun control legislation when they had both the House & Senate during the Obama Administration. 

‘Because they didn’t want to, and now they just talk!’ the Republican asserted.

Democrats were in control of the House and Senate for Obama’s first two years in office. They chose to prioritize healthcare reform in those years, ultimately passing Obamacare.

Obama’s gun control push in his second term, when Democrats controlled the Senate but not the House, did not pan out. The president took as much executive action as the White House believed he legally had the power to enact firearms reforms instead.

Republicans lawmakers rolled back one of Obama’s regulations that was intended to make it more difficult for people with mental health issues to purchase guns at the beginning of 2017. 

Democrats were swift to point out on Thursday that it was Trump who signed the legislation containing the scale-back into law after the Republican president said mental health was the issue.

Trump in a tweet also appeared to blame peers and adults of Cruz’s who knew that something was off about his behavior. 

A separate message that Trump sent over the weekend that ridiculed federal authorities for not acting on a tip upset students who survived the shooting because it made reference to the FBI’s investigation into collusion between his campaign and Russia in the 2016 election.

‘Get back to the basics and make us all proud!’ he said.

A student claiming to be a survivor of the shooting said in response:’17 of my classmates are gone. That’s 17 futures, 17 children, and 17 friends stolen. But you’re right, it always has to be about you. How silly of me to forget. #neveragain” ‘

Trump forewent his regular golf outings for much of a three-day trip to Florida out of respect for the shooting victims, filling the empty space with tweets instead.

He was spotted wearing golf attire on Monday, a federal holiday, while riding in a government SUV. 

The president and first lady departed Palm Beach this afternoon to return to Washington.  

The Trumps began their three-day trip to Florida with a meet-and-greet at a Broward Health North hospital, where they spoke to two victims of the Parkland high school shooting behind closed doors.

In front of reporters, Trump told a doctor at the hospital, ‘The job they’ve done is incredible and I want to congratulate you.’

‘It’s sad something like that could happen,’ Trump said of the massacre that snuffed out 17 young lives.

The president and first lady also stopped by the Broward County Sheriff’s office in Fort Lauderdale on Friday evening.

He was joined there by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Sen. Marco Rubio, who caught a ride on Air Force One with the president.

After hearing from hero cop Mike Leonard of the Coconut Creek police department, Trump said, ‘That was so modest, I would have told it much differently.

‘I would have said without me, they never would have found him,’ Trump proclaimed.

 



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