Trump backs ban on ‘bump stocks’ on weapons
FACED with an outpouring of grief and anger over a deadly school shooting in Florida, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threw his support behind moves to ban “bump stocks” – an accessory that can turn a semiautomatic weapon into an automatic one.
Trump also said school safety was a “top priority” for his administration, with meetings on the subject planned next week, when he holds talks with governors from all 50 US states.
Calls to ban bump stocks have been mounting since Stephen Paddock, a retired accountant, used them on several of his weapons to kill 58 concertgoers in Las Vegas in October 2017 in the deadliest mass shooting in recent US history.
Although the former student who shot dead 17 people in Florida last week did not use bump stocks, there has been a renewed focus on the devices because outlawing them is a rare point of agreement between Democrats, some Republicans and the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby.
Less than a week after the shooting, the Florida state House of Representatives rejected a ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines in a 36-71 vote, during a session that opened with a prayer for the people killed in the tragedy.
About 100 student survivors of the tragedy were to hold a gun control rally and speak with lawmakers about gun control and school safety yesterday at the state Capitol in Tallahassee.
Trump – who received strong backing from the NRA during his White House run – said he had signed a memorandum “directing the attorney general to propose regulations to ban all devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns”. The president said he expected the measures to be finalised “very soon”.
“We must move past cliches and tired debates and focus on evidence-based solutions and security measures that actually work,” Trump said at a White House event to honour 12 Americans for heroism.
“We must actually make a difference . . . We must do more to protect our children.”
Trump said he would meet this week with students, local leaders and members of law enforcement to develop“concrete steps” to protect schools, students and communities.
“This includes implementing common sense security measures and addressing mental health issues,” he said, “including better coordination between federal and state law enforcement to take swift action when there are warning signs.”
“Whether we are Republican or Democrat, we must now focus on strengthening Background Checks!” he added later.
Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz, 19, had a history of troubling behaviour and a person close to him warned the FBI five weeks before the shooting that he was a threat – but no action was taken.
Cruz legally bought the gun he used in the attack – an AR-15style semiautomatic rifle – and the White House said it would consider options to raise the age for such purchases.