Fact check: Trump misleading on past gun control efforts
President also misstates details of Orlando attack
In ameeting with members of Congress this week, President Trump made false and misleading claims about his predecessors’ actions on gun control bills and shootings in “gun- free zones.”
Trump criticized past presidents for not “stepping up” to address gun violence. They did — with varying success. President Bill Clinton signed bills in the 1990s that banned certain semi- automaticweapons and created the background check system for gun buyers. President Barack Obama developed a plan in 2013 to reduce gun violence, but it was blocked by Congress.
Trump suggested that Obama might have been looking for “an excuse not to sign” a bill in 2013 that would have expanded background checks. Obama endorsed the bill, which was defeated because of a lack of Republican backing. Afterward, Obama called its defeat “a pretty shameful day for Washington.”
The president claimed that if “one person ... could carry a gun” at the Pulse nightclub in 2016, that mass shooting “wouldn’t have happened, or certainly not to the extent it did.” In fact, an armed police officer working security for the club that night traded gunfire with the shooter.
Trump also cited the disputed statistic that “98% of all mass shootings in the United States, since 1950, have taken place in gun- free zones.” Another count of mass shootings since 1966 put the figure at about 16%.
Trump said Sen. Pat Toomey, RPa., may have been “afraid of the NRA,” and therefore didn’t include in his 2013 legislation a provision to increase the age to purchase some guns. The next day, Toomey said that was “ridiculous.” In fact, the NRA did not support Toomey in his 2016 race.
Past presidents have “stepped up,” but with mixed results.
In 1993, President Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. The law initially imposed a five- day waiting period before a licensed firearm dealer could sell or transfer a handgun, providing time for background checks on buyers. It also required the creation of an instant background check system.
In 1994, Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which included a ban on certain semi- automaticweapons for 10 years. The ban expired in 2004, and Democrats have tried to revive it ever since. During the 2016 campaign, Trump opposed reinstating the ban, saying such weapons are needed for protection.
President Obama had less success, although not for lack of trying. He proposed reinstating the ban as part of his 2013 plan to reduce gun violence. That plan called for legislation requiring universal background checks for anyone trying to buy a gun and a 10- round limit for magazines. Congress did not consider any of those proposals.