Trump Silences Critics With Real Reason He Refused to Raise Min. Gun Age to 21
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When President Donald Trump held a series of conversations about gun control and school safety following the Parkland, Florida school shooting, he caused plenty of consternation among staunch supporters of the Second Amendment with some of his off-the-cuff suggestions.
One suggestion in particular that drew the ire from gun rights-supporting Republicans and libertarians was that of raising the federal minimum age for buying a “long gun” — rifle or shotgun — to 21 years of age, as federal law already mandates for handguns.
Of course, gun rights advocates balked at the idea of essentially banning a constitutional right for certain law-abiding citizens simply because they fell beneath an arbitrary age limit, and organizations like the National Rifle Association made it clear that they wouldn’t support such a move.
But according to The Daily Caller, it would appear based on Trump’s tweets Monday morning that he has backed off significantly from such a proposal, and will now essentially take a wait-and-see attitude in regard to adjusting the minimum age for gun purchases.
“On 18 to 21 Age Limits, watching court cases and rulings before acting. States are making this decision. Things are moving rapidly on this, but not much political support (to put it mildly),” Trump tweeted.
….On 18 to 21 Age Limits, watching court cases and rulings before acting. States are making this decision. Things are moving rapidly on this, but not much political support (to put it mildly).
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2018
The reference to “not much political support” most likely was in response to the push-back he has received from the likes of the NRA and other gun rights advocates. The bit about court cases and states making decisions was likely in reference to Florida’s passage of a law which raised the minimum age for long gun purchases, a law immediately challenged in court by the NRA, according to Reuters.
The president is bound to catch flak from the anti-gun liberal media and gun grabbers salivating over the thought of banning some adults from purchasing firearms of any kind, but then again, when doesn’t he catch flak from them?
In essence, Trump announced that he will do what any good president would — allow for the states and courts to sort everything out and then move on from there, as the Constitution intended.
In separate tweets, according to Fox News, Trump addressed some of the other potential solutions his administration is looking at as a means to bolster school safety.
Those recommendations would include support for legislation strengthening the federal background check system, regulations banning bump stock devices that can be used to simulate automatic fire with semi-automatic weapons, and allowing trained teachers to carry a concealed firearm where permitted by state law.
Very strong improvement and strengthening of background checks will be fully backed by White House. Legislation moving forward. Bump Stocks will soon be out. Highly trained expert teachers will be allowed to conceal carry, subject to State Law. Armed guards OK, deterrent!…….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2018
He also seemed to indicate that he would do away with federal regulations mandating schools be “gun free zones” that forbid law-abiding gun owners from being armed on school property but do nothing to dissuade criminals and mass shooters from wreaking carnage against unarmed students and teachers.
If schools are mandated to be gun free zones, violence and danger are given an open invitation to enter. Almost all school shootings are in gun free zones. Cowards will only go where there is no deterrent!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2018
These tweets should ease the minds of some of the president’s critics on the right who may have been worried that he would infringe upon the Second Amendment, something which he repeatedly promised during his campaign for the presidency that he would never do.
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