Fury over guns for mentally ill

JUST BEFORE he offered the first big address of his presidency, President Trump quietly signed a bill undoing an Obamaera regulation that had made it more difficult for people with mental illness to buy guns.

The bill rescinded a measure put into effect by former President Barack Obama that would have added people receiving Social Security funds for certain disabilities, including mental illness, to the national gun background check database.

Obama’s rule, finalized in December, would have ultimately added more than 75,000 names to the database, according to the NRA.

Trump’s measure — that was passed by the Senate and House last week and that he signed late Tuesday afternoon without cameras present — revokes those provisions.

Gun control groups blasted Trump’s move, as well as the silent style in which it was conducted.

“Donald Trump claims he wants to make America safe. Last night he did exactly the opposite by signing a disgraceful law that will make it easier for disabled mentally ill individuals to buy guns,” Brady Campaign President Dan Gross said in a statement. “Americans will literally die as a result.”

The National Rifle Association lauded the bill.

“Today marks a new era for law-abiding gun owners, as we now have a president who respects and supports our right to keep and bear arms,” Chris Cox, the group’s executive director, said in a statement.

The Obama regulation had also been criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union, which sent a letter to Congress saying the rule “advances and reinforces the harmful stereotype that people with mental disabilities, a vast and diverse group of citizens, are violent.”

In his speech Tuesday night Trump repeatedly spoke about victims of gun violence — but did not ever actually address guns.

Gross called Trump’s signing of the bill “a political favor for the NRA,” and noted the organization was an early and enthusiastic backer of Trump’s campaign.