Trump accused of wanting to ‘punish’ innocent gun owners
Donald Trump set himself on a collision course with the National Rifle Association yesterday as America’s biggest gun lobby accused him of wanting to ‘‘punish’’ innocent gun owners and strip them of their constitutional rights.
The US president, who was enthusiastically endorsed by the NRA in the 2016 election, called yesterday for substantial changes to gun laws in the wake of last month’s school shooting in Florida which cost 17 lives.
Perhaps the most unexpected suggestion from Trump was that police should be able to confiscate people’s firearms without a court order, to prevent potential tragedies.
At an hour-long televised meeting with Democrat and Republican senators, he said: ‘‘I like taking the guns early. Take the guns first, go through due process second.’’
Addressing fellow Republicans in the room, he added: ‘‘Some of you are petrified of the NRA. You can’t be petrified. They have great power over you people ... they have less power over me.’’ He asked Pat Toomey, a Republican senator who has proposed a modest tightening of background checks, why he was not advocating raising the minimum age for buying semiautomatic weapons. ‘‘You know why,’’ Trump added. ‘‘Because you’re afraid of the NRA.’’
Trump’s comments came as Walmart, America’s biggest gun seller, announced it was raising the minimum age for buying weapons and ammunition from 18 to 21.
The NRA, which backed Mr Trump with US$30 million in 2016 responded with a blistering attack, accusing him of breaching the founding principles of the United States. Dana Loesch, the spokesman for the NRA, said: ‘‘I thought
"I like taking the guns early. Take the guns first, go through due process second." US President Donald Trump
UNITED STATES:
the meeting made for really good TV but really bad policy. We’re talking about punishing innocent Americans, and stripping from them their constitutional rights without due process.
‘‘The NRA is going to protect due process for innocent Americans. We stressed this to the president. It’s a foundational principle of this country.’’
She added that those affected by raising age limits for buying weapons would be ‘‘the 19-yearold law-abiding citizen who wants to go deer hunt’’ and ‘‘servicemen and women who want to protect themselves’’.
During the meeting some Republican senators sat stoneyfaced as Trump at times parted ways dramatically with NRA policy, including on the extent of background checks, raising the age for buying semi-automatics from 18 to 21, and even not ruling out a ban on assault weapons. He also refused to support the NRA’s campaign for a new law allowing gun owners with a ‘‘concealed carry’’ licence in one state to have that extended to all states. Trump said such a law would ‘‘never pass’’.
The NRA was understood to be in contact with Republican members of Congress, shoring up support for their agenda, in the wake of Trump’s comments. The president appeared to have taken notice of polls showing a surge in support for tighter gun control after the Florida shooting, with 68 per cent in favour, With Dianne Feinstein, the Democrat senator and anti-assault weapon campaigner, sitting next to him, Trump said: ‘‘It’s time that a president stepped up.’’
The president said he had personally told the NRA leadership: ‘‘We’re going to stop this nonsense. It’s time.’’ - Telegraph Group