His unprompted announcement pressures the gun lobby to help reach a compromise on the contentious proposal in the wake of the worst mass shooting in American history.
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Trump’s declaration comes days after a mass shooting in Orlando in which the gunman, Omar Mateen, invested twice by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, had been on the government’s terrorist watch list for 10 months before being removed.
There was an armed security guard working at the Pulse nightclub the night that Omar Mateen came and opened fire, killing 49 people and injuring 53 more before being gunned down by police. Mateen legally bought a handgun and an assault rifle days before the shooting, and while his motives are still being sorted out, the gaping holes in this country’s regulation of firearms are clear.
“But there is an exception to that no-fly list, because there are often people are put on it who are removed from it because they shouldn’t have been on it in the first place”. Support crosses traditional partisan boundaries, with 87% of Democrats and 87% of Republicans in favor of the change.
Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, whose proposal would allow the U.S. attorney general to stop any terrorist suspect from acquiring a gun, told reporters the gun control votes would likely be held on Tuesday.
On the same morning, a group of Democrats took to the Senate floor in a filibuster to protest the lack of improvement in gun safety measures in recent years. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies also need the resources to effectively carry out these restrictions.
They ended their speeches before dawn, citing a Republican pledge to hold votes soon on measures to expand background checks on gun buyers and prevent people on US terrorism watch lists from buying guns.
Another smart measure by Democratic Sens.
The New York Times editorial board on Thursday said the National Rifle Association (NRA) plays a role in terrorism. This loophole has always been an issue in Florida, and closing it has broad public support.
The gunman, the president said, had violated a sanctuary for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community and now people should reflect on how to end violence and discrimination against them, in the USA and overseas.
Lawmakers won’t really be serious about this national problem until – if and when – they take on really weighty issues like an updated version of the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004.
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We have been averaging two editorials a year to protest gun violence in the USA but we may be headed for a new record this year since this is the second one and it’s only June.
