“President Donald Trump on Wednesday signaled his support for a hodgepodge of policies — from strengthening background checks to raising the minimum age to buy certain guns and taking guns away from the mentally ill — during a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the White House on Wednesday,” cnn.com reports. The President also told the assembled throng that he plans to issue an Executive Order . . .
banning bump fire stocks. Quite how that would work is unknown. One thing’s for sure: if a President can ban one firearms-related accessory by Executive Order, he or she can ban other firearms accessories as well. And, by extension, types of firearms.
There is some good news from the self-professed “fan of the Second Amendment”:
The President once again called for the need to “harden” schools and arming “people with a certified training” to carry guns in schools, though he noted that “some people will oppose” that — and urged those opponents to voice their criticism.
Trump also stressed the importance of strengthening the background check system and once again said he pressed the National Rifle Association over the weekend on the need for action.
“I am the biggest fan of the Second Amendment. I am a big fan of the NRA. I had lunch with (them) on Sunday and I said, ‘It’s time, we’re gonna stop this nonsense this time,’ ” Trump said.
With new legislation! Nixon to China or Yamamoto to Midway? Or something slower and more sinister? Or, as is the way of Trump, nothing?
Trump, seemingly eager to do something where his predecessors have failed, added he was eager to bear the responsibility of rallying Republicans around substantive legislation.
“I like that responsibility,” Trump said. “I really do. It’s time that a President step up.”
Naturally, “step up” can mean a lot of things. Apparently, to our fearless leader, that may mean trampling due process and Constitutional rights:
“The police saw that he was a problem; they didn’t take any guns away. Now, that could’ve been policing. They should’ve taken them away anyway, whether they had the right or not.”
“I like taking the guns early.” […] “Take the guns first, go through due process second.”
With friends like these . . .