Under Immense Pressure Following Shooting, GOP And Trump Open To ‘Small Steps’ On Gun Control
President Donald Trump signaled some support for legislation that would strengthen background checks for guns, but the proposed measure wouldn't have stopped the Florida shooting as the gunman had no criminal record. Media outlets also take a look at what states have done in tightening restrictions and where they've had success.
The Associated Press:
Trump Offers Support For Background Checks On Gun Buys
From the confines of his golf club, President Donald Trump offered support for a limited strengthening of federal background checks on gun purchases Monday while staying largely mum in the last few days about the victims of the Florida school massacre and the escalating debate about controls on weapons. (2/20)
The New York Times:
Checking Facts And Falsehoods About Gun Violence And Mental Illness After Parkland Shooting
A heavily armed young man is accused of killing 17 people after opening fire on terrified students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday. It was the third mass shooting in the past four months in the United States. Nikolas Cruz, who has been linked to a history of mental illness, is believed to have used a legally obtained AR-15 in the shooting. The attack has led to widespread conversations about links between gun violence and mental illness, and how lawmakers and interest groups are debating potential policy responses. (Qiu and Bank, 2/16)
The Hill:
Dems Say GOP Focus On Mental Health Is Redirection From Gun Control
The Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead has reopened a debate about whether a focus on mental health is the answer to gun violence. Both President Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) pointed to mental health reforms as a solution following the shooting. “We are committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools, and tackle the difficult issue of mental health,” Trump said in his first public comments about the latest mass shooting in the United States. (Sullivan, 2/17)
The Hill:
Florida Shooting Reopens CDC Gun Research Debate
A mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead has reopened a debate in Congress about loosening long-standing restrictions on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) research into gun violence. Democrats have frequently railed against the restrictions, which were enacted in 1996 after fierce lobbying by outside groups like the National Rifle Association. But Republicans have been able to beat back Democratic attempts to restore the flow of federal research dollars to gun violence research. (Weixel, 2/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
Florida School Shooting Renews Debate Over Gun Access And Mental Health
The Florida school shooting rampage by a former student with a troubled past has put a new focus on the vexing debate over what can be done to keep firearms away from people prone to violence. In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting in Broward County that left 17 dead, President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott each called for greater gun restrictions for those with mental-health problems. (Gerhsam, 2/16)
The Washington Post:
Most Americans Say Trump, Congress Not Doing Enough To Stop Mass Shootings, Post-ABC Poll Finds
More than 6 in 10 Americans fault Congress and President Trump for not doing enough to prevent mass shootings, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, with most Americans continuing to say these incidents are more reflective of problems identifying and addressing mental health issues than inadequate gun laws. (Clement and Guskin, 2/20)
The New York Times:
In Wake Of Florida Massacre, Gun Control Advocates Look To Connecticut
In the aftermath of the rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, where 20 children and six educators were killed in 2012, state lawmakers in Connecticut set out to draft some of the toughest gun measures in the country. They largely succeeded — significantly expanding an existing ban on the sale of assault weapons, prohibiting the sale of magazines with more than 10 rounds and requiring the registration of existing assault rifles and higher-capacity magazines. The state also required background checks for all firearms sales and created a registry of weapons offenders, including those accused of illegally possessing a firearm. (Foderaro and Hussey, 2/17)
The Washington Post:
Five States Allow Guns To Be Seized Before Someone Can Commit Violence
In the wake of massacres similar to Wednesday’s school shooting in Parkland, Fla., a small number of states have passed “red flag laws” that allow the seizure of guns before people can commit acts of violence. California, Washington, Oregon, Indiana and Connecticut have statutes that can be used to temporarily take guns away from people a judge deems a threat to themselves or others. Lawmakers in 18 other states — including Florida — plus the District of Columbia have proposed similar measures. (Bernstein, 2/16)
The New York Times:
Treating The Victims, And The Teenager Accused Of Gunning Them Down
In the intense aftermath of the school shooting last week, Dr. Igor Nichiporenko pronounced a wounded teacher dead on arrival and massaged the bullet-shredded heart of a student, trying in vain to restart it. He and his colleagues also treated six other teenagers, some of whom were in the emergency room and others who were rolled off to operating theaters. Then, about an hour after the victims began pouring into Broward Health North hospital, word came that another patient was about to arrive. With distraught relatives and journalists converging on the hospital in Deerfield Beach, Fla., the medical staff now faced the challenge of treating the man accused of causing all the carnage. (Fink, 2/20)