Hearing from a group not beholden to NRA

More demonstrations are planned this month to get through to politicians about sensible gun control.

It turns out some member of Congress might not be the only ones in Washington who are “petrified” of the National Rifle Association.

In the wake of the latest school mass shooting, this one in Parkland, Fla., President Trump invited a bipartisan group of Congress members for a frank discussion of the problem and the nation’s gun laws.

It was probably more frank than some Republicans would have liked.

The president ran down what sounded like a list of Democratic talking points, saying he wanted to boost the age to buy a semi-automatic weapon from 18 to 21.

He vowed he would ban “bump stocks” on his own.

And perhaps most stunning, he seemed to suggest law enforcement be more concerned about getting the guns out of the hands of those who should not possess them, including those with mental health issues, first, and worry about due process later.

He quizzed Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey on the bill he pushed after the Sandy Hook tragedy five years ago. Toomey had reached across the aisle to partner with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., on legislation to beef up background checks. It got shot down.

The president wanted to know why Toomey’s bill did not address the notion of increasing the age to buy a semiautomatic weapon.

The senator was in the middle of his response, noting that most of those in Pennsylvania between the ages of 18-21 were law-abiding citizens, when the president interrupted.

“You’re scared of the NRA (National Rifle Association),” the president declared, referring not only to Toomey but to many in the room.

That was a just two weeks ago.

The president made it clear he was ready to stand up to the gun lobby and get results so many people are demanding in the wake of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Then the president met with NRA officials.

Now he’s sounding a different tune.

His demand to raise the age limit to buy a semi-automatic weapon has been softened considerably.

Now he’s indicating that he’s “watching court cases and rulings” on the issue. He also pointed out there is “not much political support (to put it mildly)” for such a move.

In that Feb. 28 meeting, Trump referred to the NRA as “great patriots,” but also vowed he would take a different approach.

“That doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything,” the president said. Two weeks later, he seems less inclined to disagree.

Over the weekend he rolled out a limited plan to attack the issue of school shootings.

One of his brashest ideas – arming some volunteer teachers who would get special training – was placed in the hands of states and local communities. Raising the age limit to buy a semi-automatic? That’s being sent to a commission for review.

As usual, the White House went on the defensive when they were questioned on the apparent about-face on gun control.

“We can’t just write things down and make them law,” said press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “We actually have to follow a process.”

Wednesday, another group was heard from.

Thousands of students walked out of their schools for 17 minutes – one for every victim of the Parkland shooting.

The National School Walkout was the latest evidence of a new energy emanating from young people and focused on changing the nation’s gun laws. They are tired of talk. They are tired of cowering under desks or in closets as a gunman invades what is supposed to be a safe space, their neighborhood schools.

And they are tired of burying their friends.

They are the ones who live with the fear of school shootings.

They will not be silenced. They are not going away. And they are not done. In fact, they are coming to your town, Mr. President.

In a little more than a week, thousands of young people will head to Washington, D.C., on March 24 to take part in the March For Our Lives.

Again they will call for meaningful changes in the nation’s gun laws.

Finally, it seems, the nation’s capital will hear from someone who is not beholden – nor afraid – of the NRA.