Some Gun Control Measures ‘On The Table’ For Trump Following Florida Shooting
President Donald Trump has directed the Justice Department to issue regulations banning so-called bump stocks, which convert semiautomatic guns into automatic weapons. But people familiar with the conversations say he is mulling going further -- and perhaps putting himself at odds with the NRA. Meanwhile, students are still reeling from the psychological toll of the mass shooting.
The New York Times:
Trump Moves To Regulate ‘Bump Stock’ Devices
President Trump — under pressure from angry, grieving students from a Florida high school where a gunman killed 17 people last week — ordered the Justice Department on Tuesday to issue regulations banning so-called bump stocks, which convert semiautomatic guns into automatic weapons like those used last year in the massacre of concertgoers in Las Vegas. (Shear, 2/20)
The Washington Post:
Trump, Citing ‘Evil Massacre’ In Florida, Starts Talking About Gun Control
In private, [Trump] has indicated that he might do more, telling advisers and friends in recent days that he is determined to push for some sort of gun-control legislation, according to people familiar with the conversations. In one such discussion, during dinner with television commentator Geraldo Rivera at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, the president listened with interest as Rivera suggested raising the minimum age at which a person could buy a semiautomatic weapon from 18 to 21. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Tuesday that the idea is “on the table for us to discuss.” (Johnson, Berman and Dawsey, 2/20)
The Washington Post:
‘I Would Rather Not Be Alone.’ Behind Their Anger, Florida Students Are Still Teens Struggling With Trauma.
She was tired of catching herself staring blankly at the wall, so Hannah Karcinell sent a group text to her friends: “Hi, I’m thinking of having a thing at my house.” Those friends invited their friends, and now she was waiting for everyone on her back patio, wearing a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School cheerleading tank top. She heard a thud. Her whole body tensed. “Should I put the food out now?” her mom called from the house. Hannah turned. The sound, she realized, had just been Jodi Karcinell pushing open the back door, which sticks. (Contrera, 2/20)
The Associated Press:
Florida Shooting Survivors In Capital, Demand Action On Guns
Students who survived the Florida school shooting prepared to flood the Capitol Wednesday pushing to ban the assault-style rifle used to kill 17 people, vowing to make changes in the November election if they can't persuade lawmakers to change laws before their legislative session ends. About 100 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students arrived at a Tallahassee high school to extended applause late Tuesday after a 400-mile trip on three buses. They told the 500 students and parents waiting for them that they are fighting to protect all students. (Farrington, Replogle and Lush, 2/21)
And in more news —
Miami Herald:
Lawmakers Debate Porn But Not Ban On Assault Weapons
House Republicans on Tuesday decisively blocked a move by Democrats to debate a ban on assault weapons in Florida, six days after a massacre that took 17 lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The bill (HB 219), which would ban the sale and possession of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines like the kind used by Nikolas Cruz, has been mired in a House subcommittee for months and has not been heard. (Koh and Bousquet, 2/20)
Miami Herald:
Mass Shootings Haven’t Changed Florida Politics
After a teen’s deadly assault on his former high school in Parkland last week, Republican leadership is considering legislation to restrict access to assault rifles, donors are threatening to pull funding unless gun control is once again on the table, and scores of teenagers, the faces of the next generation of voters, are descending on the state Capitol this week. ...Heading into a key November election, Florida politicians are facing political fallout over gun control in the aftermath of the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. (Smiley, 2/20)
Texas Tribune:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Calls For Better Background Checks After Florida Shooting
In his first public comments since last week's Florida school shooting, Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday called for fixing the federal background check database for gun buyers and identifying mental health issues that could lead to gun violence. ...The governor said Texas gun safety standards should be reviewed to see whether they need updating. (Dugyala and Svitek, 2/20)
