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)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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