Trump stopped calling for 'very meaningful background checks' on guns after talkin+g to the head of the NRA
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Politics
Trump stopped calling for 'very meaningful background checks' on guns after talking to the head of the NRA
David Choi, Business Insider 8 hours ago 
- Following his talks with the NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre and gun-rights activists, President Donald Trump struck a different tone on gun regulations in the weeks after two mass shootings, according to a New York Times report .
- The NRA reportedly launched a campaign to contact lawmakers in the wake of the shootings on August 3 and 4 in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
- Trump has spoken with LaPierre multiple times, according to several news reports this month.
- Trump had signaled he was willing to broach the topic of universal background checks.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
Following his talks with the NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre and gun-rights activists, President Donald Trump struck a different tone on gun regulations in the weeks after two mass shootings, The New York Times reported on Monday .
The NRA reportedly launched a campaign to contact lawmakers in the wake of the shootings on August 3 and 4 in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Both gunmen wielded assault-style rifles in the separate shootings, which killed 31 people.
Trump has spoken with LaPierre multiple times, according to several news reports published earlier in August. LaPierre is said to have voiced displeasure about expanded background checks , legislation that has received bipartisan support in Congress, saying that would not align with the group's supporters' views.
Immediately after the shootings, Trump signaled that he was willing to broach the subject.
"Well, I'm looking to do background checks," Trump told reporters. "I think background checks are important. I don't want to put guns into the hands of mentally unstable people or people with rage or hate."
He added that "we have to have very meaningful background checks."
But in the weeks since, Trump has said that he is "very concerned" with the Second Amendment and that "people don't realize we have very strong background checks right now."
The Times reported that Trump has privately noted the waning influence of the nonprofit organization, which was shaken by a leadership scandal earlier this year and is embroiled in numerous lawsuits , including one from the New York Attorney General's Office over its finances.
A White House spokesman told The Times that Trump's recent comments were not a reversal of his prior statements.
Democratic leaders said they were not optimistic about a policy shift from the White House.
"We've seen this movie before: President Donald J. Trump, feeling public pressure in the immediate aftermath of a horrible shooting, talks about doing something meaningful to address gun violence," Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement on Monday , "but inevitably, he backtracks in response to pressure from the NRA and the hard-right."
Schumer added: "These retreats from President Trump are not only disappointing but also heartbreaking, particularly for the families of the victims of gun violence."
Tags
Who is online
78 visitors
After speaking with one of Russia's top money launderers, the NRA, Rump has backpedaled, as usual.
Of course he did. The NRA owns him, lock, stock, and gun barrel.
How does that work exactly?
Actually the Russians own Trump, lock, stock, and barrel.
And the Russians own the NRA, lock, stock, and barrel.
So, of course Putin told Trump to not cross the NRA because then he will be crossing Putin.
[Deleted]
How so? And please show reliable sources and actual proof of your accusation. Maybe Mueller needs to talk to you for a do over.
Deep pockets.
This is so fascinating! And Putin cares about the NRA because . . . ?
Ah! That explains every . . . wait. That actually explains nothing.
Not a surprise. He's done it before.
I understand this is just another "I hate Trump" seed, that's ok. Your opinion on that topic is just as valid as others.
I'm personally against the expanded background checks because I really don't want to give the federal government a toe hold into intrastate commerce because once they are in they are more than likely to find a new way to expand and tax it. Not to mention, without a gun registration database you would never know which private party owned what gun. So that's really a toothless law.
But I just don't think any of these plans for expanding the background checks are going to make much of a difference. So many states and reporting agencies do not provide information to the NICS so what background checks being done today are on partial or completely missing information. Case in point that Texas church shooter.
Instead I would like to see some work done on getting these states and reporting agencies to improve their reporting back to the NICS system so that when a background check is performed we can be sure it is checking all the necessary information for that person.
so no comment on the rest of what I wrote? any discussion?
After calling it 'just another "I hate Rump" seed, what's the point in continuing?
got it, you don't actually want to discuss the issue. You took offense at one sentence and won't go any further. ok, have a nice life
Trumps promises are meaningless.
So he is a politician, no different than thousands before him, even....gasp!!!! democrats.
Trump said way back at the beginning that he is NOT a politician. So now you are calling him a liar. He taught you well.
Every gun bought from a licensed gun dealer has a NICS background check done on the buyer.
EVERY ONE .... otherwise it's not legal.
I'd call that very meaningful
Of course criminals don't buy guns from licensed dealers so background checks fix diddly-squat in that regard. No matter who they buy them from. Crooks will seek illegal guns out. No matter what.
Background checks.
Just one more ignorant gun control talking point made by the left. It will fix little to nothing that isn't already being done.
Everything he says or does is meaningless bullshit...I knew he'd just pay lip service and then cave to the National Reaper Association.
This describes most gun control legislation and proposals.
That describes trump and deporables.
Trump urges gun background checks after 2 mass shootings shake the nation
Trump Flips on Gun Control After NRA Sits Him Down in Oval Office
That Trump’s attention span drifted elsewhere before Congress could even reconvene to debate gun control reform was hardly a surprise. The president has promised to tackle background checks before, only to drop the idea once the mass shooting that precipitated his apparent interest faded from the news cycle. Two sources close to the president each said they had spoken to Trump in the past week, and neither recalled him saying anything about seriously pushing expanding background checks.
But for officials on the Hill, Trump’s latest backtrack still serves as a notable illustration of just how quickly he can paralyze the legislative process—even on issues with wide public support.
“There is nothing happening,” one Senate Democratic aide, who asked to be referred to as a "severely depressed staffer who has been through too many of these," said of the current state of negotiations. “This is all Trump. It is all in his hands. No one is talking to Republicans or their offices. If the president says, ‘Yes I wanna do it,’ it gets 85 votes. If he doesn't, it doesn't.”
So far, the president has not said he wants to “do it.” There have been no conversations with Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.V.)—the chief Democratic co-sponsor on the most bipartisan piece of background check legislation—since the two talked early last week . White House staff have not had substantive follow up conversations with Senate staff since they convened to discuss the Manchin-Pat Toomey legislation, aides say. And a senior Democratic House aide confirmed that there was not “much movement” on their end of the Capitol either.
DHS Official: Trump Can’t Admit ‘This Is Terrorism’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said in a radio interview on Aug. 8 that he had talked with the president and was “anxious” to work with him to get an outcome on guns. A spokesman for McConnell told The Daily Beast that the GOP leader and Trump talk frequently but would not say if they had spoken about prospective bills in recent days.
A source familiar with the discussions said that Democrats remain willing to work with Trump to reach a legislative compromise on guns. But they are skeptical that it might happen, aware of his tendency to backtrack after past mass shootings. The hope among Senate offices involved in the discussions is that the White House will ultimately make clear what proposals Trump can and cannot support with respect to gun legislation and that that, in turn, will set the table for possible next steps, according to the source familiar with talks.
But, so far, the president has signalled mainly that he is retreating from the idea that he can push an expanded background-checks bill through Congress. On Sunday, he told reporters that, “People don't realize we have very strong background checks right now,” before arguing that the issue with gun violence was a “big mental [health] problem.”
In case there was any confusion, Trump added: “Look, I've had a great relationship with the [National Rifle Association], and I will always have a great relationship. I've been very good for the NRA.”
Though the gun rights lobby finds itself in a state of internal turmoil , its influence has not waned on the Hill or within the West Wing. The group staunchly opposes ongoing efforts to expand background checks, and quickly jumped on the phone with Trump to restate that position in the wake of the two recent mass murders. Since then, more conservative voices, including figures closely aligned with Trump, have signalled their disapproval with far-reaching legislation favored by Democratic lawmakers.
“We already have background checks on all gun transactions except those between private individuals. Spending time on this issue is a waste for anyone who really wants to help with mass shootings,” Ed Brookover, who served as a senior adviser on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, said on Monday.
Democratic Hill aides expect that Republicans will, ultimately, not move on legislation this time around unless it has the NRA’s endorsement. And for that reason, there is growing resignation to the idea that Senate GOP leaders will end up pushing reforms to the background checks system that nibble around the edges rather than directly expanding its scope.
One such bill was introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) during the wake of the Newtown shooting in early 2013 and reintroduced in years since . The bill increased funding for school safety measures, criminalized straw purchases, and encouraged states to report mental health records; but it did not actually limit gun ownership, at least in material ways. Another possibility is a so-called “red flag law” proposal — which would aim to keep guns out of the hands of the most dangerous people — that represents probably the maximum level of gun control that the GOP can get behind.
But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has already said that Democrats won’t “settle” for gun action that is limited to red flag laws. On Monday, he called Trump’s “backtracks” on guns “heartbreaking” and called on McConnell to put universal background checks to a vote on the Senate floor immediately. There was no response from McConnell or Trump.
“Every reporter called me up and said this time feels different,” the Senate Democratic aide said. “I was like, am I missing something?”
Of course, this 'president' and the NRA have so much blood on their hands.
That would funny if it wasn't so fucking stupid.
It's beyond the pale fucking stupid actually.
I saw this bumper sticker the other day.
The second amendment guarantees the right to "bare" arms...so rip off your sleeves for America.