3/11/2018

EDUCATION/GUNS/NRA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump will propose arming school staff and raising the minimum age to 21 to purchase certain firearms in a school safety proposal that the administration will release on Sunday [3-11-2018], a White House spokesman said in broadcast comments. … During his presidential campaign, Trump touted his support for gun rights and was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, the powerful gun lobby group. Since the shooting, he has offered conflicting statements about his views on gun policies, at times calling for new restrictions and at other times rowing back on his comments. … [White House spokesman Raj] Shah did not say whether Trump’s proposal to raise the minimum age for buying certain arms would be through supporting federal legislation or encouraging states to take it on. Many Republican lawmakers say it should be left to the states. Shah also said there would be a provision that would involve having ‘trained individuals’ in schools, including staff. On Saturday [3-10-2018], the Department of Justice formally submitted a regulation to ban ‘bump stocks,’ a modification to high-capacity rifles that lets them fire like an automatic weapon, that would not need congressional approval. Shooter Stephen Paddock used a bump stock in an October 2017 shooting rampage in Las Vegas that left 58 people dead and more than 850 injured.”

– Reuters staff, “Trump to propose arming school staff, raising gun purchase age,” Mar. 11, 2018 8:44am