Trump supports efforts to improve gun checks: WH

WASHINGTON: The White House on Monday announced that President Donald Trump was “supportive” of efforts to improve federal background checks on prospective gun buyers, days after a teenager shooter killed 17 people in a Florida high school.

Trump spoke to Republican Senator John Cornyn about a bipartisan bill that he and Democrat Chris Murphy introduced to improve federal compliance with criminal background checks, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

Cornyn and Murphy had introduced the bill in November, days after a gunman killed over two dozen people in a church in Texas. The shooter — a former US air force personnel — had been able to purchase firearms despite having a criminal history.

“The president spoke to Senator Cornyn on Friday about the bipartisan bill he and Senator Murphy introduced to improve federal compliance with criminal background check legislation,” Sanders said. “While discussions are ongoing and revisions are being considered, he is supportive of efforts to improve the federal background check system.”

It is a significant step for Trump, who ran for president on the promise of protecting the Second Amendment, which guaran-

tees Americans the right to bear arms. During the 2016 campaign, Trump aligned himself with the gun lobby and in February 2017, signed into law a bill revoking an Obama-era regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase firearms.