The public outrage over the Florida school shooting has shaken up the Trump administration. School students from all over the country took to the streets to protest against the inaction over introducing strict gun control laws to prevent such tragedies. In this context, the President has apparently told the powerful gun lobby that steps must be taken to stop incidents of this nature.
Sky News reports that Donald Trump wants the National Rifle Association to strengthen the existing gun laws. During his presidential campaign the NRA had extended its support to him, and he does not want to alienate it.
He wants to have a bill that will be accepted by all.
Trump interacts with students
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida was the target of the gunman who shot dead 17 persons in cold blood. The students had staged a walkout to protest against the apathy of the administration in introducing stricter measures to prevent misuse of guns and avoid gun violence in schools.
Donald Trump had met a section of the students and senators at the White House. He wanted to feel their pulse and define the most appropriate line of action. During the sit-down, some students showed an aversion to gun control while others expressed a desire for greater restriction. The president wants to expand the scope of background checks for people who want to buy guns, but this has not gone down well with the NRA and by Republicans in Congress.
Other options before him are to raise the legal age from 18 to 21 to buy a rifle and impose a ban on the sale of bump stocks that can convert rifles into automatic-style weapons.
A bill that was intended to expand the scope of background checks had failed twice after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 during the tenure of Barack Obama.
The thinking would have changed by now in view of subsequent incidents, and it could be revived to ensure that guns do not end up in the wrong hands.
The president talks tough
President Donald Trump sprung a surprise when he talked about gun control on live TV. According to New York Times, he wanted lawmakers at the White House to bring back gun safety legislation.
It had never found favor with the National Rifle Association, or members of his own party. Hence, his words have left them confused.
The shooting spree in the school in Florida followed by the protests might have influenced his decisions. He has already chalked out a plan to check the gun menace. The question is – can he really carry it through, knowing that it could antagonize the gun lobby that had backed him to the hilt during his campaign.
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