Trump Champions Deeper Background Checks For Guns As GOP Rallies Around ‘Red Flag’ Laws Despite Flaws
President Donald Trump raised concerns among his advisers and the NRA when he talked about the current political appetite for extensive background checks on guns, an idea that hasn't been popular among his allies in the past. Meanwhile, Republicans see "red flag" laws as a way to address the public's renewed calls for lawmakers to "do something." But a look at previous shooting incidents show that those "red flags" often go unseen or unheeded even by those trained to spot them.
The Washington Post:
Trump’s Openness To Extensive Background Checks For Gun Buys Draws Warning From NRA
President Trump has repeatedly told lawmakers and aides in private conversations that he is open to endorsing extensive background checks in the wake of two mass shootings, prompting a warning from the National Rifle Association and concerns among White House aides, according to lawmakers and administration officials. Trump, speaking to reporters Wednesday before visiting Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, where weekend shootings left 31 dead, said there “was great appetite for background checks” amid an outcry over government inaction in the face of repeated mass shootings. (Dawsey and Kim, 8/7)
USA Today:
Trump Considers Tougher Background Checks For Gun Buyers After Shootings In El Paso And Dayton
“I'm looking to do background checks,” Trump said at the White House as he departed for Dayton, where he met with shooting survivors and first responders. “I think background checks are important.” Trump, who also visited El Paso on Wednesday, said he senses there is “a very strong appetite” for background checks, though many lawmakers have mostly focused publicly on red flag laws aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of people deemed an imminent danger to themselves or others. (Collins, Lalljee, Elbeshbishi and Jackson, 8/7)
The Associated Press Fact Check:
Trump Twists Facts On Gun Control And Tariffs
Battling dual crises of gun violence and trade, President Donald Trump is twisting the facts in regards to gun control and exaggerating his case for tariffs against China. Speaking Wednesday, Trump defended his past incendiary rhetoric on race in the wake of weekend mass shootings in Texas and Ohio and suggested that legislation addressing background checks was imminent. That’s not the case. (Yen and Wiseman, 8/7)
Politico:
Poll: Most Republicans Support Assault Weapons Ban, Despite Trump Saying 'No Appetite'
Most Republicans would support legislation banning assault-style weapons, a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll found Wednesday — a finding that contradicts President Donald Trump's claim earlier the same day that there's "no political appetite" for such restrictions. The poll found that nearly 70 percent of all voters would back such a ban. Support for an assault-weapons ban was higher, at 86 percent, among Democrats, who have been pushing for new restrictions on the firearms in the wake of two mass shootings over the weekend. (Shepard, 8/7)
Reuters:
Factbox: Mass Shootings In U.S. Ignite New Calls For Gun Legislation
A cluster of recent mass shootings that killed 36 people in California, Texas and Ohio has sparked renewed calls for the U.S. Congress to pass legislation to prevent gun violence. While Democrats want the Senate to interrupt its five-week summer recess and return to Washington to address the matter immediately, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, has not acted on the request. (8/7)
The Associated Press:
Mayors Urge McConnell And Schumer To Recall Senate To Washington For Vote On Gun Bill
More than 200 mayors, including two anguished by mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, are urging the Senate to return to the Capitol to act on gun safety legislation amid criticism that Congress is failing to respond to back-to-back shootings that killed 31 people. In a letter Thursday to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Democratic leader, Charles E. Schumer, the mayors wrote, “Our nation can no longer wait for our federal government to take the actions necessary to prevent people who should not have access to firearms from being able to purchase them.” (Daly and Mascaro, 8/7)
The Associated Press:
Texas Governor Says 'No Red Flags' In El Paso Suspect's Past
Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday he's not aware of any "red flags" in the suspected El Paso gunman's past and made no mention of taking major gun-control measures in Texas, where three mass shootings since 2017 have killed more than 50 people. Abbott, a Republican, said racism needs to be confronted and a crackdown initiated on internet sites used by violent extremists after the weekend attack that left 22 people dead in the mostly Latino border city. (8/7)
Texas Tribune:
Greg Abbott Announces Roundtables To Mull Responses To El Paso Shooting
Days after a white gunman murdered 22 people in El Paso in a shooting fueled by racism, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday said that he will hold another series of roundtable discussions to consider legislative proposals to address the tragedy. The roundtables, which may start later this month, are meant to collect ideas to legislatively address the domestic terrorism El Paso experienced as well as ensuring guns do not end up in the hands of “deranged killers like the man who committed this heinous crime,” Abbott said. (Ura, 8/7)
USA Today:
Red Flags: Warning Signs Before Previous Mass Shootings Went Unseen And Unheeded Even In Military
Deadly massacres in recent years have exposed the difficulty in identifying and acting on warnings signs from troubled people – even inside institutions such as the military, which screens its personnel continuously. After massacres in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, President Donald Trump said the government needs the power to identify potential shooters and take away their firearms if they have threatened harm to themselves or others. But even when warning signs are apparent, they can be overlooked or unheeded. Information reporting systems have gaps that can allow would-be shooters to obtain weapons. (Brook and Johnson, 8/7)
The Baltimore Sun:
What Is A ‘Red Flag’ Law And How Has It Worked In Maryland And Elsewhere?
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws, primarily since 2012. Maryland’s law went in effect in 2018, after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. All the laws allow law enforcement to petition the courts. Many states also allow family members and intimate partners to seek an order. The Maryland law is considered among the strongest because it also allows some health care providers and social workers to petition the court and permits requests any day or time. (Cohn and Rentz, 8/7)
The Washington Post:
‘We Have To Deal With This’: Gun Policy Divide Hangs Over Bipartisan Gathering Of State Lawmakers
The state lawmakers had been crammed into a conference room for nearly two hours, listening to fellow legislators talk about bulletproof desks, clipboards that double as shields and special phone apps to alert emergency services — all part of a cottage industry to prepare students for a mass shooting. There was talk of mental-health interventions, video games and social media monitoring during the informational session titled “A proactive approach to school safety.” But as the talk neared its end, no one had mentioned the word “gun.” (Wax-Thibodeaux, 8/7)
Health News Florida:
Florida Senate To Look At Mass Violence, White Nationalism
In the run-up to the 2020 legislative session, the Florida Senate will review acts of mass violence such as the deadly shootings this weekend in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, along with factors such as white nationalism. Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, on Monday directed Senate Infrastructure and Security Chairman Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, to lead efforts to determine if any further action is needed after laws were enacted in the wake of the Feb. 14, 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. (Turner and Ceballos, 8/7)
