By Louise Radnofsky, Kristina Peterson and Natalie Andrews 

This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (March 1, 2018).

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump backed a Senate proposal to expand background checks on gun sales Wednesday, as part of a call for a sweeping overhaul of U.S. gun policy in the wake of the Florida school shooting.

In a meeting with lawmakers at the White House, Mr. Trump also dashed conservative hopes that he would support a move now for gun owners who legally carry concealed firearms in one state to carry them in the other 49 states, a long-sought goal of the National Rifle Association. And he bucked Republican orthodoxy by suggesting the swift removal of guns from people who are potentially mentally ill, as he continued to seek a legislative response to the deaths of 17 people at a Parkland, Fla., high school two weeks ago.

Mr. Trump's comments came on the same day Walmart Inc. and Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. said they would no longer sell guns to anyone under 21 years old, as two of the country's biggest gun sellers tightened their policies in the wake of the shooting.

The president opened the hourlong televised round table with Republican and Democratic legislators by saying he backed a joint proposal from Sens. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) that would expand background checks to all sales online and at gun shows, with some carve-outs.

The president encouraged both sides to pitch other preferred changes, from tougher restrictions on the most powerful weapons to greater communication between school and law-enforcement officials to try to prevent prospective shootings. Several lawmakers called on him to take the lead to ensure that effective change takes place after repeated failed attempts following previous mass shootings.

"If this meeting ends up with just sort of vague notions of future compromise, then nothing will happen," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.). "Mr. President, it's going to have to be you that brings the Republicans to the table on this."

"I like that responsibility," Mr. Trump replied.

The president told the senators and representatives that he wanted them to merge many of those ideas -- each of which has faced its own challenges on Capitol Hill -- and that he was confident they could rally 60 Senate votes, which would be needed for legislation to pass, and a majority of House lawmakers. "It would be so beautiful to have one bill that everybody could support," he said.

He went on to tell Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), seated to his right, that he wanted to see the passage of a bill by Mr. Cornyn that would strengthen the existing background-check system by reducing glitches in reporting data to it. By itself, the bill is relatively uncontroversial; Democrats have said they are reluctant to back it only because they worry that it would forestall other measures.

"It would be nice if we could add everything on to it," Mr. Trump proposed.

"If we can get 60 votes for it, Mr. President, I'm all for it," Mr. Cornyn replied. "I think you can," Mr. Trump said.

Some lawmakers afterward signaled that they didn't share the president's confidence, with Democrats saying they doubted the president's words would yield immediate results, and several key Republicans saying they remained opposed to the Manchin-Toomey legislation that the president said he favored.

"I thought the president was very candid, so we'll see what comes of it, " said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.). Asked if she was concerned that nothing would happen, she smiled and said, "I'm not going to say that -- but of course."

Mr. Trump has staked out positions on controversial issues in the past, only to surprise some lawmakers with an apparent change of heart later. Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) on Wednesday recalled a recent meeting at the White House focused on immigration, in which the president had said he was open to signing any sweeping immigration-overhaul bill that Congress sent him, and pledged to offer lawmakers political cover, before rejecting bipartisan proposals as nonstarters.

"My advice is: Hope for the best, don't be surprised if he changes his mind in 24 hours," Mr. Durbin said.

The Manchin-Toomey bill narrowly failed in the Senate in 2013, falling six votes short of the 60 needed to advance. Currently, federal law requires the checks only for sales by federally licensed dealers, though some states have added their own requirements.

"I'm not inclined to vote for it now unless it's part of a broader package of things that are better for the country than what we have now, " Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) said, though he didn't offer a specific element of that broader package that would satisfy him. "None of these shootings were conducted by someone who bought a gun at a gun show or a parking lot."

Mr. Cornyn also said he wasn't ready yet to merge his bill with the broader Manchin-Toomey legislation. "I just need to go back and reacquaint myself with Manchin-Toomey," he told reporters. "The details are important."

Mr. Manchin was among those who told Mr. Trump that his leadership would be vital to the success of any effort: "There's not a person in West Virginia that believes that you're not going to defend their Second Amendment rights."

Mr. Trump asked Mr. Toomey why the bill didn't include a provision that would prevent 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds from buying rifles. "You know why? Because you're afraid of the NRA, right?" Mr. Trump asked Mr. Toomey, who instantly said that wasn't at issue.

"The vast majority of 18-, 19-, and 20-year olds in Pennsylvania who have a rifle or a shotgun, they're not a threat to anyone. They're law-abiding citizens. They have that because they want to use it for hunting or target shooting, and to deny them their Second Amendment right is not going to make anyone safer," Mr. Toomey said.

Mr. Trump also deviated from many Republicans when he appeared to cite support for state legislation that gives authorities and courts more legal channels to strip firearms from gun owners flagged as dangerous to themselves or others.

Mr. Toomey later said he particularly opposed that idea, telling reporters, "You have to have due process before you take people's property."

By contrast, several lawmakers said they were heartened by Mr. Trump's repeated dismissal of adding concealed-carry reciprocity to gun legislation, saying it would clear a path for a package that has a realistic chance of passing both chambers.

That has been a particular sticking point in the House, where House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) has been under pressure to keep it packaged with Mr. Cornyn's background-checks bill.

"Even though I support it, it would not likely get 60 votes here in the Senate," Mr. Cornyn said, before repeating that "in the interest of getting something done," his bill should remain lawmakers' primary focus.

--

Michael C. Bender

contributed to this article.

Write to Louise Radnofsky at louise.radnofsky@wsj.com, Kristina Peterson at kristina.peterson@wsj.com and Natalie Andrews at Natalie.Andrews@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 01, 2018 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)

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