Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump Says Gun Negotiations Going 'Very Slowly'
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
September 19, 2019

Share

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday poured cold water on prospects for a bipartisan compromise on gun legislation, even as Attorney General William Barr circulated a draft plan on Capitol Hill to expand background checks for gun sales.
In a Fox News interview that aired Thursday, Trump said no deal is imminent, more than six weeks after mass shootings in Texas and Ohio killed more than 30 people.
“We’re going very slowly,” Trump said, adding that while he doesn’t want “bad people” to have weapons, he won’t allow any plan to move forward that takes guns away from law-abiding people or restricts Second Amendment rights.
A proposal being floated by Barr would require background checks on all commercial gun sales, including at gun shows.
The leaked proposal caused an uproar on Capitol Hill as lawmakers wondered whether Trump was poised to support expanded background checks in the face of opposition from fellow Republicans and the National Rifle Association.
But speaking to reporters on Air Force One as he returned home from California late Wednesday, Trump said the plan was just one of many ideas under consideration.

Trump Said Barr Was Working on His Behalf to Try to Reach a Deal

“Those are ideas that we’re talking to Republicans, Democrats, everybody about. Some they like, some they don’t like. Just a series of concepts,” Trump said.

“Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47, and we’re not going to allow it to be used against your fellow Americans anymore.” — Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke
Trump told Fox that a call by Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke to confiscate assault-style rifles has made it more difficult for Republicans to reach agreement on gun control.
“Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47, and we’re not going to allow it to be used against your fellow Americans anymore,” O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman, declared during a Democratic presidential debate last week.
“Dummy Beto made it much harder to make a deal,” Trump tweeted Wednesday. “A lot of people think this is just a way of taking away guns,” Trump told Fox, adding that he won’t let that happen.
Asked about the proposal to expand background checks for gun purchases, Trump distanced himself, saying the document was put out by Barr.
Still, Trump said Barr was working on his behalf to try to reach a deal. “We got Bill Barr involved. He’s an expert on guns and gun control,” Trump said.
Barr and Eric Ueland, the White House director of legislative affairs, have been meeting with lawmakers to talk about ways to reduce gun violence. Among the things they have discussed is a one-page document that would require background checks on all advertised commercial gun sales. The plan builds on a proposal by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., to expand background checks.

NRA Weighs in Immediately

Barr downplayed the proposal Wednesday, telling reporters, “We’re just kicking around a number of ideas. The president hasn’t made any decisions. I’m just kicking around ideas and perspectives so I’m in a better position to advise him.”
Asked whether he would recommend the background check plan to Trump, Barr said, “I haven’t shared any list of proposals. There are a number of different proposals that are being considered.”
Even so, the NRA weighed in immediately, calling the proposal “a non-starter” with the NRA and its 5 million members.
The plan “burdens law-abiding gun owners while ignoring what actually matters: fixing the broken mental health system and the prosecution of violent criminals,” said Jason Ouimet, the NRA’s legislative director.
Manchin, who met with Barr on Wednesday, along with Toomey and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said he remained hopeful.
Referring to Barr, Manchin said, “I think we’re close to where he can take something to the president, to see if the president really wants to do something” on gun control.
Toomey said Barr’s idea “is a mechanism for expanding background checks beyond what we have today. I have (Republican) colleagues who are open to that, so I’m modestly encouraged.”

Trump and White House Aides Discuss Several Gun Control Measures

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said earlier this week that Congress remains “in a holding pattern” on gun control as lawmakers await proposals from the White House.

“I still await guidance from the White House as to what (Trump) thinks he’s comfortable signing. If and when that happens, then we’ll have a real possibility of actually changing the law and hopefully making some progress.” — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Trump has previously pledged to veto a House-passed bill to expand background checks for gun purchases, but McConnell said he is hopeful there are other gun-related proposals that Congress can approve and Trump can support.
Trump and White House aides have discussed a number of gun control measures with lawmakers, including steps to go after fraudulent buyers, notify state and local law enforcement when a potential buyer fails a background check, issue state-level emergency risk protection orders, boost mental health assistance and speed up executions for those found guilty of committing mass shootings.
“I still await guidance from the White House as to what (Trump) thinks he’s comfortable signing,” the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday. “If and when that happens, then we’ll have a real possibility of actually changing the law and hopefully making some progress.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have warned Trump that gun-control legislation must include the House-passed bill to expand background checks. Any proposal that does not include the House legislation “will not get the job done” because dangerous loopholes will be left open, the Democrats said.

DON'T MISS

Newsom Uses a Stunt to Position Himself as a Leader of Anti-Trump Resistance

DON'T MISS

CA Legislature Sets Record for Women in Office and Could See Historic Gender Parity

DON'T MISS

Trump to Target Iran’s Oil Trade in Renewed ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign

DON'T MISS

Over 2,500 Central Unified Students Receive Spirit Sweaters at 20th Annual ‘Warm for Winter’

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Gang Members in Shooting Involving 7-Month-Old

DON'T MISS

Fresno Team Makes Low-Budget Horror Flicks Look Like Multi-Million-Dollar Productions

DON'T MISS

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

DON'T MISS

Homeowners’ Effort to Leave Sierra Unified Ends With County Ed Rejection

DON'T MISS

Will Terance Frazier’s Nonprofit Exit Granite Park? ‘Hell No’ He Says

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Sends Pickup Into Tree, Dark Tint Cited as Cause

UP NEXT

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

UP NEXT

FBI Thwarts Iranian Murder-for-Hire Plan Targeting Donald Trump

UP NEXT

Wave of Racist Texts After Election Prompts FBI Scrutiny

UP NEXT

Americans Seek Fresh Start Abroad as Election Sparks Expat Interest

UP NEXT

Trump Promises to Bring Lasting Peace to a Tumultuous Middle East. But Fixing It Won’t Be Easy

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

UP NEXT

North Korea’s Long-Range Missile Test Signals Its Improved, Potential Capability to Attack US

UP NEXT

Visalia Rollerblader Suffered Major Injuries After Being Struck by Vehicle

UP NEXT

Fresno County Man Indicted for Possessing Stolen Guns

UP NEXT

On Elon Musk’s X, Dems Are an Endangered Species While GOP Goes Viral

Over 2,500 Central Unified Students Receive Spirit Sweaters at 20th Annual ‘Warm for Winter’

4 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Gang Members in Shooting Involving 7-Month-Old

5 hours ago

Fresno Team Makes Low-Budget Horror Flicks Look Like Multi-Million-Dollar Productions

5 hours ago

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

6 hours ago

Homeowners’ Effort to Leave Sierra Unified Ends With County Ed Rejection

7 hours ago

Will Terance Frazier’s Nonprofit Exit Granite Park? ‘Hell No’ He Says

8 hours ago

Fresno Crash Sends Pickup Into Tree, Dark Tint Cited as Cause

9 hours ago

November Has Scattered Cool Temps, Rain Showers for Fresno

9 hours ago

Beyoncé Makes Grammy History With ‘Cowboy Carter,’ Leading 2025 Nominations

10 hours ago

Macklin Celebrini, NHL’s Youngest Player, Scores on Marc-Andre Fleury, League’s Oldest

10 hours ago

Newsom Uses a Stunt to Position Himself as a Leader of Anti-Trump Resistance

Two days after the nation’s voters gave Donald Trump another term as president, Gov. Gavin Newsom staged a publicity stunt to position...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Newsom Uses a Stunt to Position Himself as a Leader of Anti-Trump Resistance

3 hours ago

CA Legislature Sets Record for Women in Office and Could See Historic Gender Parity

3 hours ago

Trump to Target Iran’s Oil Trade in Renewed ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign

The Foundation for Central Schools' 20th annual Warm for Winter event provided over 2,500 Central Unified students with spirit sweaters, thanks to community partnerships and generous donors. (Central Foundation)
4 hours ago

Over 2,500 Central Unified Students Receive Spirit Sweaters at 20th Annual ‘Warm for Winter’

5 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Gang Members in Shooting Involving 7-Month-Old

5 hours ago

Fresno Team Makes Low-Budget Horror Flicks Look Like Multi-Million-Dollar Productions

Following the results of Tuesday's election, Jada Mevs, a 25-year-old from Washington, D.C., is urging women to take action by signing up for self-defense classes, deleting dating apps, getting on birth control, and investing in vibrators, as part of a growing response to the election of Donald Trump for a second term and the failure of abortion rights referendums. (Shutterstock)
6 hours ago

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

7 hours ago

Homeowners’ Effort to Leave Sierra Unified Ends With County Ed Rejection

Search

Send this to a friend