GUNS/MASS SHOOTINGS/NRA/POLLS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump sees a rare political opportunity to act on gun control — and if there was ever a time to do it, this is probably it. Nine out of 10 Trump voters support universal background checks, according to a new poll — and a majority favor other gun control measures. The NRA is in shambles. And Trump’s reelection hopes would be helped mightily by more support among moderate suburban voters — who back the measures but abandoned Republicans in the midterms…In the days since mass shootings in Texas and Ohio left 31 people dead, Trump has talked to Congress’ top two leaders, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy multiple times, about how to proceed, according to people familiar with the phone calls. He also called Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), the bipartisan tandem who pushed expanded background checks, and Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who proposed a bill to help states confiscate firearms from people deemed dangerous. The odds of serious gun control legislation clearing Congress and being signed into law remain slim.”
–Anita Kumar, “Donald Trump’s Nixon-to-China moment on guns,” Politico, August 8, 2019 6:37 pm