‘Because you’re afraid of the NRA’: Trump criticizes Toomey, gun bill
Post-Gazette Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — A bill to expand background checks for gun purchasers doesn’t appear to go far enough for President Donald Trump, who met with its sponsors and other lawmakers at the White House Wednesday.
The bill would require background checks for purchases online and at gun shows but does not raise the age restriction for buying long guns, which the president wants.
During the meeting, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., confirmed that the legislation he wrote with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., doesn’t address that.
“You know why? Because you’re afraid of the NRA,” the president responded.
The National Rifle Association opposes both the background check expansion and the idea of raising the age for long gun purchases from 18 to 21, the same age required to buy handguns.
“I can say the NRA is opposed to it,” Mr. Trump said. “These are great patriots. They love our country, but that doesn’t mean we have to agree on it.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, DConn., who also attended the meeting, said Congress has not been able to pass the Manchin-Toomey bill because the gun lobby has veto power.
“Sen. Toomey has demonstrated that he is not afraid of the NRA or any other special interest group,” Toomey spokesman Steve Kelly said after the meeting. He has supported legislation to expand background checks despite NRA opposition, Mr. Kelly said. As a result, the NRA downgraded its rating of Mr. Toomey and refused to back him for re-election.
Mr. Toomey’s office elaborated in a joint statement with Mr. Manchin.
“What we heard from the president today was very encouraging. His desire for a comprehensive approach to strengthening the background check system, and specifically using ManchinToomey as the foundation, would achieve our shared goal of keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, the dangerously mentally ill, and terrorists while respecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. Per the President’s instruction, Congress shouldn’t wait.”
Mr. Toomey also explained his position on age limits in a phone call with Pennsylvania reporters earlier Wednesday.
“The majority of 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds who purchase long guns do so for hunting or target shooting. That’s why they have a rifle or a shotgun,” he said. “The way I look at it, is it good policy to deny law-abiding, 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds the option to buy a long gun? I remain skeptical. I’m not convinced the benefits outweigh the costs.”
He noted that handguns, which those under 21 cannot legally buy, are used to commit crimes much more frequently than long guns.
Mr. Toomey told reporters he had three things on his agenda for his White House meeting: expanded background checks, no-fly no-buy legislation; and increased prosecution of people who lie about their criminal histories.
As Mr. Toomey prepared for that meeting, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., was organizing his own call for gun reform. He led a group of six Democratic senators on the Senate floor this evening to urge Republican leaders to allow votes on gun bills.
He said constituents — particularly young people from Parkland and elsewhere who are demanding reform — expect action.
“It doesn’t mean just giving speeches or expressing condolence,” Mr. Casey said.
Mr. Toomey has been working to pass bipartisan gun reforms since the 2012 school massacre in Newtown, Conn. His background checks legislation twice failed to pass the Senate, but he thinks it has a chance now.
That’s because survivors of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., are doing something Sandy Hook Elementary School students couldn’t: organize and advocate for themselves.
The “accumulation of these massacres” and the “outcry from high school kids across the country” and especially from Parkland, is having an effect on Republican colleagues who previously voted against expanded background checks.
Some of them have told Mr. Toomey that they are “open to reconsidering” the bill, but none have indicated they’ve changed their mind. Mr. Toomey said he is open to tweaking his bill to get their support but isn’t clear what changes would get them onboard.
Support from Mr. Trump would help, the senator said.
“The president has indicated he does want to do something here. I hope it would be meaningful,” Mr. Toomey said.
One of those things is providing incentives for teachers who carry guns. That isn’t a priority for Mr. Toomey, but he said it’s something he could support if teachers are well-trained and if the decision were made at the local level.
“I wouldn’t impose it nationally, but I think if a school district chooses to go down that road” they should be allowed to, he said.
A better solution, though, would be “hardening” schools, he said. That means designating a single point of entry and having security guards and metal detectors.
“No one of these bills, nor all of them together, would be a panacea for mass shootings or gun violence in general,” Mr. Toomey said, noting that mental illness plays a role. “We’ve got a serious problem that’s going to require, sadly, some time and many different approaches.”
Washington Bureau Chief Tracie Mauriello: tmauriello@post-gazette. 703-996-9292 or on Twitter @pgPoliTweets.