In bow to NRA, Trump throws gun purchase age to states, courts

By Roberta Rampton and Doina Chiacu

 

U.S. President Donald Trump talks about banning devices that can be attached to semiautomatic guns to make them automatic, during a Public Safety Medal of Valor Awards Ceremony at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 20, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis/Files

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Under pressure from gun rights groups, President Donald Trump backed away on Monday from raising the minimum age for gun purchases from 18 to 21, one of several measures he had supported after the latest U.S. school shooting.

 

The proposal to raise the minimum age for buying guns from 18 to 21 was not part of a modest set of Trump administration school safety plans announced on Sunday and which were closely aligned with National Rifle Association (NRA) positions.

 

The administration plan also included training teachers to carry guns in schools, an idea already in place in some states and backed by the powerful gun lobby.

 

"On 18 to 21 Age Limits, watching court cases and rulings before acting. States are making this decision. Things are moving rapidly on this, but not much political support (to put it mildly)," Trump wrote on Twitter.

 

Florida last week adopted new gun regulations, triggering a federal lawsuit from the NRA to block raising the minimum age for buying long guns.

 

The Republican president, who championed gun rights during his 2016 campaign, vowed to take action to prevent school shootings after a gunman killed 17 students and faculty at a high school in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14.

 

The shootings reignited fierce debate in the United States, and Trump stunned members of Congress during White House meetings by endorsing proposals long opposed by his fellow Republicans and accusing lawmakers of being afraid of the NRA.

 

However, the measures proposed by the White House on Sunday night were weaker than some of the more sweeping changes Trump had embraced during his televised meetings on the issue.

 

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump still backs some of those changes, including new age limits, but is focusing on measures that can get through the U.S. Congress.

 

"Right now the president's primary focus is on pushing through things that we know have broad bipartisan support or things that we can do from an administrative perspective, that we can do immediately," she said at a news briefing.

 

Trump backs legislation aimed at providing more data for the background check system: a database of people who are not legally allowed to buy guns. But he did not endorse a broader proposal that would close loopholes in existing law by requiring background checks for guns bought at gun shows or arranged over the Internet.

 

The NRA did not return a request for comment on the president's proposals on Monday.

 

The top Democrats in Congress accused Trump of caving to the NRA and vowed to keep pushing for tougher gun measures.

 

"The families and students suffering from the heartbreak of gun violence deserve real leadership, not a White House that cravenly tiptoes around the NRA," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

 

Trump met with the NRA privately at the White House twice last month as he weighed his response to the shooting.

 

It was not clear how quickly Congress would move on the issue. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, has not scheduled debate for any gun-related bills.

 

The NRA-backed background check data bill, which now has a supermajority of co-sponsors, is pending in the Senate. With more than 60 co-sponsors in the 100-member chamber, individual senators would have a hard time slowing or blocking its passage if it were brought up for debate.

 

CONTROVERSIAL PROPOSALS WAIT

 

The White House put off some of the more controversial proposals, including raising the minimum purchase age, for further study by a new commission led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

 

Asked why the age limit proposal was dropped from the administration plan, DeVos told NBC's "Today" show that the plan was the first step in a lengthy process.

 

"Everything is on the table," she said on Monday.

 

The Justice Department will also provide an unspecified amount of grants to states that want to train teachers to carry guns in school.

 

In Congress, the House of Representatives on Wednesday is expected to debate a bill that would invest $50 million a year to help education and law enforcement officials reduce the chances of gun violence at schools.

 

On Saturday, the Justice Department submitted a regulation to ban bump stocks - devices that turn semiautomatic rifles into fully automatic machine guns - that would not require congressional approval. Some gun control advocates worry that the regulation will face legal challenges, and have urged Congress to pass a law instead.

 

(Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu and Susan Heavey; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and James Dalgleish)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-13

The Donald: “Everything is on the table”

 

NRA: “No it’s not Donnie”

 

The Donald “Everything’s not on the table”.

 

The great negotiatior, my @rse 

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

Under pressure from gun rights groups, President Donald Trump backed away on Monday from raising the minimum age for gun purchases from 18 to 21, one of several measures he had supported after the latest U.S. school shooting.

Raising the age at which a weapon can be purchased comes under the heading of the 'least' a President can do. And he won't even do that.

 

Gutless.

 

Bought and paid for by the NRA.

 

The State of Florida just brought in a law raising the age of long gun purchase to 21. It still isn't much, but it better than nothing.

 

Hey Donny Boy! When the state of Florida demonstrates higher moral standards than you do, it is REALLY time to re-evaluate your priorities.

 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

President Donald Trump backed away on Monday from raising the minimum age for gun purchases from 18 to 21, one of several measures he had supported after the latest U.S. school shooting.

then the issue is dead; didn't matter much, the guns are already in the hands of the users

This from the guy who said "I'm not afraid of the NRA."

 

16 minutes ago, Credo said:

This from the guy who said "I'm not afraid of the NRA."

 

What a joke that guy is. He berated others of being so afraid of the NRA and now he's backing down as well, probably because of the pressure he's feeling from the NRA. Flip-flopping Trump for the umpteenth time (must be a couple of hundred times by now), but that doesn't seem to matter to his support base, they will keep cheering him on, no matter what.

Mid-terms coming up and with thin majorities in both Houses, a flip-flopping and wishy-washy POTUS is pretty much par for the course.

38 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Mid-terms coming up and with thin majorities in both Houses, a flip-flopping and wishy-washy POTUS is pretty much par for the course.

Republican majority in House is not thin. Part of that is thanks to gerrymandering.

7 hours ago, Credo said:

This from the guy who said "I'm not afraid of the NRA."

 

Dotard Donny's <deleted> are a very similar size to his <deleted>...."Minute"

 

What a thing it is

He talks the talk, but he doesn't walk the walk. 

 

He back down to the NRA; he has back down on raising the age, he backed down on taking the guns away first and asking questions later, etc., etc.,   so basically, he backed down on everything.

 

 

43 minutes ago, Credo said:

He talks the talk, but he doesn't walk the walk. 

 

He back down to the NRA; he has back down on raising the age, he backed down on taking the guns away first and asking questions later, etc., etc.,   so basically, he backed down on everything.

 

 

It’s called great negotiating skills!!

What happened, Tough- Guy?

Are you afraid of the NRA?

 

He's afraid of everything including his own shadow. Too scared to come the UK because parliament would eviscerate him and he wouldn't be able to handle being laughed at by 66M people! Mind you, his dainty hand would be perfect for afternoon tea with Brenda.

Just now, Grouse said:

He's afraid of everything including his own shadow. Too scared to come the UK because parliament would eviscerate him and he would be able to handle being laughed at by 66M people!

And that is a big fat disgusting shadow.

Coward!

To suggest POTUS is backing down isn't totally genuine. I think many folks don't realize that,

"Gun laws in the US vary considerably between states. The majority of legislation relating to guns is enacted at the state level and these laws are independent of Federal firearms laws".

 

 

https://www.gunstocarry.com/gun-laws-state/

12 minutes ago, riclag said:

To suggest POTUS is backing down isn't totally genuine.

Sounds like waffling to me:

 

1 hour ago, samran said:

It’s called great negotiating skills!!

No its call not doing anything, what did he negotiate? As a matter of fact the NRA negotiated him away from raising the minimum wage.

 

The background check part, heck he rescinded Obamas law regarding to background checks. Now he wants to implement it again?

3 minutes ago, mike324 said:

No its call not doing anything, what did he negotiate? As a matter of fact the NRA negotiated him away from raising the minimum wage.

 

The background check part, heck he rescinded Obamas law regarding to background checks. Now he wants to implement it again?

What law did he rescind?,sources

14 minutes ago, riclag said:

What law did he rescind?,sources

Here is a link for your reference or you can search "HJ Resolution 40"

 

http://time.com/5011519/texas-church-shooting-mental-health-donald-trump/

36 minutes ago, mike324 said:

No its call not doing anything, what did he negotiate? As a matter of fact the NRA negotiated him away from raising the minimum wage.

 

The background check part, heck he rescinded Obamas law regarding to background checks. Now he wants to implement it again?

Obama law was very broad in context and didn't address  due process rights for the mentally ill,according to the American civil liberties union.

https://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/ACLU.pdf

46 minutes ago, riclag said:

Obama law was very broad in context and didn't address  due process rights for the mentally ill,according to the American civil liberties union.

https://waysandmeans.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/ACLU.pdf

Yes it was broad, but still going towards the right direction. Republicans could have revised the law instead of shoot it down. Now in the wake of another school shooting, they want to have background checks!

From the moral high ground, America is hurtling down exponentially. Very sad.

4 hours ago, Grouse said:

He's afraid of everything including his own shadow. Too scared to come the UK because parliament would eviscerate him and he wouldn't be able to handle being laughed at by 66M people! Mind you, his dainty hand would be perfect for afternoon tea with Brenda.

Come on riclag what's sad about that? I thought I portrayed the weakling POTUS rather humourously ?

8 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Come on riclag what's sad about that? I thought I portrayed the weakling POTUS rather humourously ?

 "the weakling POTUS", I try not to engage with people who sling insults.My comments never have off the cuff insults.Sorry,better luck next time

23 minutes ago, riclag said:

 "the weakling POTUS", I try not to engage with people who sling insults.My comments never have off the cuff insults.Sorry,better luck next time

OK, but I did have some residual hope that Trump as an unpredictable soul might have just head butted NRA right out on their sorry, corrupt bony <deleted>

All talk. No action. Where are his legendary Great Negotiation skills? Another b.,s. What an idiot. Anyone who cannot see this reality of this is also an idiot. Sheesh.