'Don't worry about the NRA,' Trump tells U.S. governors

By Roberta Rampton

 

Florida Governor Rick Scott and U.S. President Donald Trump cross paths during a discussion about school shootings with state governors from around the country at the White House in Washington, U.S. February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump plans to discuss gun legislation with lawmakers this week, the White House said Monday, and he told governors not to worry about the National Rifle Association as they mull responses to the massacre of 17 people at a Florida high school.

 

"Don't worry about the NRA. They're on our side," Trump told more than 35 governors, including Rick Scott of Florida, during a White House meeting. "If they're not with you, we have to fight them every once in a while. That's OK. They're doing what they think is right."

 

The Feb. 14 massacre of students and educators at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, by a gunman with a legally purchased semiautomatic rifle reignited the nation's long-running debate over gun rights.

 

Trump, a Republican who backed gun rights during and since his 2016 presidential campaign, has been under pressure to show he is responding without alienating Republicans who oppose restrictions on gun rights. He plans to meet with lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said at a news briefing.

 

Trump, who had lunch with senior NRA officials on Sunday, on Monday repeated his suggestion that arming teachers could help stop more rampages. He did not mention raising the legal age to buy assault rifles to 21, an idea he emphasized last week and one that Florida's Scott, also a Republican, backed after the rampage.

 

The NRA could not be reached for immediate comment.

 

Investigators said this month's assault was carried out by Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former student at the high school, with a legally purchased AR-15 assault weapon.

 

The shooting has rattled long-drawn political lines on gun rights in the United States, where Republican officials have often opposed any efforts to tighten gun ownership rules, partly out of concern about retribution by the powerful NRA.

 

Washington Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, told Trump that teachers in his state do not want to carry weapons.

 

"I have listened to the first-grade teachers who don't want to be pistol-packing first-grade teachers," Inslee said. "Let's just take that off the table and move forward."

 

But Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said more than 100 school districts in his state have trained teachers and other staff to carry a weapon and respond to attacks.

 

"Some school districts, they promote it," Abbott said. "They will have signs out front, a warning sign, 'Be aware there are armed personnel on campus.'"

 

Florida plans to invest $500 million to have a significant law enforcement presence in every public school in the state, Scott told the White House meeting.

 

TRUMP SAYS WOULD HAVE RUN IN

 

Trump criticized the law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting.

 

An armed school resource officer stationed at the school stayed outside during the attack, and has since resigned. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has been criticized for his department's response to the shooting.

 

"The way they performed was, frankly, disgusting," Trump said, adding that he believed that if he were in the same situation, he would have run into the school "even if I didn't have a weapon."

 

The businessman-turned-politician avoided military service during the Vietnam War through student and medical deferments.

 

He has called the school resource officer, Scot Peterson, a "coward."

 

An attorney for Peterson defended his actions in a statement, saying he had remained outside because he believed the gunfire was occurring outside the school.

 

"Allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue," attorney Joseph DiRuzzo said in a statement.

 

Trump has said he plans to limit sales of "bump stocks," which can modify a legally purchased semiautomatic rifle to fire at high rates of speed akin to a machine gun. Fully automatic machine guns are largely banned under U.S. law.

 

The NRA has pushed back against that idea, saying it would impinge on the rights of law-abiding gun owners while having no effect on public safety.

 

A gunman in Las Vegas last year used assault rifles equipped with bump stocks to kill 58 people in the deadliest attack by a single shooter in U.S. history. Bump stocks have not played a prominent role in other recent U.S. mass shootings.

 

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-02-27

21 minutes ago, webfact said:

"The way they performed was, frankly, disgusting," Trump said, adding that he believed that if he were in the same situation, he would have run into the school "even if I didn't have a weapon."

 

"Saving Private Bonespur"

 

Opening today at the Theatre of the Absurd. Please check the local paper for times and locations

14 minutes ago, tonray said:

 

"Saving Private Bonespur"

 

Opening today at the Theatre of the Absurd. Please check the local paper for times and locations

Can there possibly be one person on the planet who believed him...

48 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

"The way they performed was, frankly, disgusting," Trump said, adding that he believed that if he were in the same situation, he would have run into the school "even if I didn't have a weapon."

Yeah, sure you would have...

Edited February 26, 20188 yr by Bluespunk

11 minutes ago, rogerluli said:

Can there possibly be one person on the planet who believed him...

Himself. He is the only one who matters...

The NRA is completely blameless in these mass shootings so Trump's advice is, as usual, correct. 

1 hour ago, Boon Mee said:

The NRA is completely blameless in these mass shootings so Trump's advice is, as usual, correct. 

Hey Boon Mee (and Freddie Royle) - do you think Trump would have run into the school without a gun if he had been there? How about if he had a gun? 

 

Does it bother you at all that your President lies as easily as he speaks?

9 minutes ago, JCauto said:

Hey Boon Mee (and Freddie Royle) - do you think Trump would have run into the school without a gun if he had been there? How about if he had a gun? 

Why not?  He ran into the White House without a brain.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

"The way they performed was, frankly, disgusting," Trump said, adding that he believed that if he were in the same situation, he would have run into the school "even if I didn't have a weapon."

In effect, gun possession is not really necessary. I think a lot of people would agree with that Mr President. 

""The way they performed was, frankly, disgusting," Trump said, adding that he believed that if he were in the same situation, he would have run into the school "even if I didn't have a weapon."

 

I wrote a couple of heartfelt sentences regarding the puddle of vomit but decided to delete them. TVF rightly doesn't allow such language. I see that the draft dodging traitor has reached new lows in the opinion polls. Too bad the constitution doesn't allow for a voter recall.

3 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

The NRA is completely blameless in these mass shootings so Trump's advice is, as usual, correct. 

According to right wingers; if chemical Factory X upriver was spewing tons of mercury and toxins into the river, the people downstream getting sick shouldn't blame Factory X.  Do right wingers take drugs to lessen the number of brain cells in their skulls?  Is a right winger smarter than a gecko?  You tell me.

1 hour ago, ballpoint said:

Why not?  He ran into the White House without a brain.

Oh come on, let's not be so harsh on dufus Trump.  He has a brain, but it might be infected by one or more STD's he got from screwing hundreds of loose women without using condoms.  

Sheep, all of them. They voted the guy in and they have no idea what to do with him. Somnamna!

He would have done...WHAT????

3 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

The NRA is completely blameless in these mass shootings so Trump's advice is, as usual, correct. 

I would agree with you if the NRA didn't give out millions to politicians each year to lobby for their interest. So how would you consider them blameless when they have been impeding politicians who wish to do more in regards to gun safety.

4 hours ago, rogerluli said:

Can there possibly be one person on the planet who believed him...

 

 

4 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

The NRA is completely blameless in these mass shootings so Trump's advice is, as usual, correct. 

 

Anymore questions rogerluli         Boon Mee would have been right behind Trump armed with nothing but an armchair and a keyboard.   

13 hours ago, sjbrownderby said:

In effect, gun possession is not really necessary. I think a lot of people would agree with that Mr President. 

 

The civilian population in the USA are armed to the teeth and that will never change, short of an armed conflict.

 

Personally I see no reason why anyone should be allowed to own a military assault rifle,  I'm a retired Veteran and licensed firearms owner in addition to being a licensed weapons collector; but I don't own any military assault rifles.  

 

There has to be a line somewhere,  for the life of me why is the NRA supporting the ownership of "bump stocks" ????

 

Seriously wouldn't any self respecting gun owner want legislation to prevent nutters owning guns ?

 

16 minutes ago, Kimber said:

 

The civilian population in the USA are armed to the teeth and that will never change, short of an armed conflict.

 

Personally I see no reason why anyone should be allowed to own a military assault rifle,  I'm a

retired Veteran and licensed firearms owner in addition to being a licensed weapons collector; but I don't own any military assault rifles.  

 

There has to be a line somewhere,  for the life of me why is the NRA supporting the ownership of "bump stocks" ????

 

Seriously wouldn't any self respecting gun owner want legislation to prevent nutters owning guns ?

 

 

I don't see any reason why anyone should be allowed to own a military style assault rifle either. But, that is the weapon the 2nd Amendment specifcally protects ownership of. While we're waiting on the Constitutional Convention that modifies that amendment wouldn't it make more sense to go after the weapons that kill 20 times more Americans each year than rifles do (including assault rifles), and which Americans have no Constitutional guaranteed right of possession; ie: handguns?

Edited February 27, 20188 yr by lannarebirth

7 hours ago, webfact said:

"The way they performed was, frankly, disgusting," Trump said, adding that he believed that if he were in the same situation, he would have run into the school "even if I didn't have a weapon."

 

The businessman-turned-politician avoided military service during the Vietnam War through student and medical deferments.

American bald eagle documented here climbing to his nest while protecting his offspring from the elements. 

I actually one of the few things this man is right on. Do not worry about NRA! It´s just a bunch of overgrown kids, that likes to play with guns. Just a little club exectly as Man U.

8 hours ago, rogerluli said:

Can there possibly be one person on the planet who believed him...

There are many more than you think. We're not all liberal airheads.

6 minutes ago, howbri said:

There are many more than you think. We're not all liberal airheads.

Okay. So you actually believe that the Donald would have rushed in, without a gun, to confront that heavily armed gunman? Would you have done that? I sure as hell would not have. But then again, I'm a "liberal airhead" apparently, so dumb enough not to volunteer for lead ventilation.

4 hours ago, Becker said:

""The way they performed was, frankly, disgusting," Trump said, adding that he believed that if he were in the same situation, he would have run into the school "even if I didn't have a weapon."

 

I wrote a couple of heartfelt sentences regarding the puddle of vomit but decided to delete them. TVF rightly doesn't allow such language. I see that the draft dodging traitor has reached new lows in the opinion polls. Too bad the constitution doesn't allow for a voter recall.

I hear you.  Trump possesses nothing but the worst traits of a human being, cowardice being one of them.  Speaking of "Cadet Bone Spurs," perhaps we should compare him to, say, a real American hero...

 

[While 9 million Americans served in the military during the Vietnam War — 1.8 million were drafted — the future president was given five deferments from the draft: four related to his college studies and one for bone spurs in his heel, though the problem was not severe enough to prevent him from playing sports such as football, tennis and golf as a young man.]

 

[In contrast, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, whose investigation into Russian interference Trump routinely maligns, chose to enlist in the Marine Corps and was deployed to Vietnam to lead a rifle platoon that year, earning two awards for valor and suffering a gunshot wound to his leg.]

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-said-he-would-charge-a-gunman-here’s-what-he’s-actually-done-in-the-face-of-danger/ar-BBJDAsu?ocid=wispr

 

Note to 2nd Amenders:  An amendment can be repealed.  It has happened.  The 13th Amendment was repealed 16 years after it was instated. 

 

Just so you know, the 2nd Amendment wasn't chizled in marble by Gods on Mount McKinley.

 

 

19 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

Note to 2nd Amenders:  An amendment can be repealed.  It has happened.  The 13th Amendment was repealed 16 years after it was instated. 

 

Just so you know, the 2nd Amendment wasn't chizled in marble by Gods on Mount McKinley.

 

 

Au contraire, mon ami! According to someone who regularly hears voices in his head, it was actually provided to Americans by God-hisownself! This is quite amazing, as I had thought it was a bunch of gentlemen in the mid- to late-1700's who wrote the document, several of whom professed to be not even particularly religious if at all. Not only that, many of these folk had come to America to escape religious persecution in Europe. So it's not really surprising that the Constitution, despite apparently being handed down on stone tablets by Yahweh, specifically and deliberately separates Church and State.

 

But noted historian and scholar, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre has stated that the Second Amendment was given to Americans by God as "our American birthright."

 

https://www.christianpost.com/news/nra-president-second-amendment-granted-by-god-americans-birthright-219018/

 

3 hours ago, oilinki said:

American bald eagle documented here climbing to his nest while protecting his offspring from the elements. 

Crap President, crap husband and a crap father. Great role model for the leader of the free world country that used to be the leader of the free world.

10 hours ago, webfact said:

The way they performed was, frankly, disgusting," Trump said, adding that he believed that if he were in the same situation, he would have run into the school "even if I didn't have a weapon."

 

He would’ve dazed the shooter with his Trumpian bullish!t

Just think, if Trump actually went to Vietnam he would have defeated the VC all by himself and the war would have been over years earlier! 

If the shooting had taken place at a McDonald's, I might be more inclined to believe him.