Do You Support Stricter Gun Background Checks?

What’s the story?

• President Donald Trump is mulling background checks, moving between saying he doesn’t want to go down the “slippery slope” of eroding gun owners’ rights but also confirming he has “an appetite” for stricter checks.
• Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House for Kentucky on Wednesday, Trump confirmed that he’d discussed background checks with National Rifle Association head Wayne LaPierre, but disputed reports that he’d told LaPierre that background checks were off the table.
• “I have an appetite for background checks,” Trump said. “We’re going to do be doing background checks... We’re going to be filling in some of the loopholes.”
• But Trump also warned “you’re on that slope and all of a sudden nobody has any legal protection. Our Second Amendment will remain strong.”
• This echoed comments Trump made on Tuesday:

“A lot of the people that put me where I am are strong believers in the Second Amendment, and I am also. They call it the slippery slope. All of a sudden everything gets taken away. We’re not going to let that happen.”

What did Trump say he and LaPierre discussed?

• “I didn't say anything about [background checks being off the table]. We had a great talk with Wayne yesterday. Didn’t say anything about that. We just talked about concepts. Wayne agrees things have to be done also.”
• He added:

“We have background checks, but there are loopholes in the background checks. That’s what I spoke to the NRA about yesterday. They want to get rid of the loopholes as well as I do. At the same time, I don’t want to take away people’s Second Amendment rights.”

What are people saying?

• Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said "it’s time for Republicans and President Trump to decide whose side they’re on. Are they going to stand with the 90% of Americans who want universal background checks, or are they going to once again kowtow to the desires of the gun lobby?”
• “The White House has been very responsive to our office,” said Steve Kelly, a spokesman for Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). Toomey has pushed a bipartisan bill to expand background checks with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).  

“We’ve had ongoing conversations, at the staff level, with the White House regarding background checks both last week and this week,” Kelly said.

• NRA spokeswoman Amy Hunter said the group “has always supported efforts to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and the dangerously mentally ill” and “appreciates the president’s desire to find logical ways of accomplishing that goal.”

“However, even the most ardent anti-gun advocates would concede expanded background checks would not have stopped any of the recent high-profile shootings. In order to reduce gun deaths, we must address the root causes of crime.”

What do you think?

Do you support stricter background checks? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: Screen Capture)