President Trump held a bipartisan discussion on gun reform today in which he seemed to have no clue what his party’s stances on the topic are and repeatedly proposed solutions that are sure to enrage his base and convince the NRA that they made a mistake spending so much money to get him elected.
At one point Trump suggested seizing guns and then figuring out due process afterward, a proposal that would have had gun owners calling for violent revolution in the streets if President Obama had called for it. He also accused some of the attendees of being afraid of the NRA and decried the fact that meaningful gun reform legislation wasn’t passed by former administrations.
The President rebuffed Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA) after the Majority Whip (himself a victim of gun violence) suggested a law allowing concealed carry across state lines. Trump told Scalise he believes such a provision would never pass a vote.
Throughout the meeting, Trump demonstrated a staggering ignorance of existing and proposed gun policy. At one point, he erroneously stated that you can’t simply walk into a store and purchase an AR-15 and that such weapons could only be acquired on the black market.
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) quickly corrected him and pointed out that you can indeed buy AR-15s and similar semiautomatic rifles over the counter, and that it’s a huge problem for our country. Trump conceded the point and told the Republicans at the table to work with Feinstein to find a solution.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Trump if he didn’t make a few idiotic or inane suggestions. He took some time to blame violent video games and Hollywood movies in part for gun violence, although no credible study has ever found a link between them.
Other nations import our entertainment and don’t have nearly the same level of gun violence. The key difference between the U.S. and other countries isn’t our entertainment diet, but rather the fact that we are awash in guns that are easily acquired and distributed.
Trump also once again brought up his dangerous idea to arm teachers in schools to serve as deterrents against possible school shooters. He still seems to think that turning our classrooms into military zones is a good idea, this despite the fact that just today a school had to be evacuated and police called to the scene when a teacher opened fire inside a school.
Aaron Rupar of ThinkProgress tweeted out some of the greatest hits from today’s conference. Check them out below.
Trump to lawmakers: "I'll love you" pic.twitter.com/0E92wcqvnM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump begins with a dose of #whataboutism, mentions who was president when previous mass shootings occurred pic.twitter.com/enDvZNnBAG
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
TRUMP, ranting: "Certain ideas sound good but they're not good. You can harden the site to a level nobody could get in. Problem is if shooter is inside & closes door, we can't get people in. It's going to cost hundred of millions all over the country & we'll have nice hard sites" pic.twitter.com/f9OpntyNqI
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
"We'll leave the media here for a while and they can hear some……. thought" pic.twitter.com/GURBAfhzo7
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump promises to review information @SenFeinstein gave him showing that the 1990s assault weapons ban led to a decrease in gun massacres pic.twitter.com/WENzTmRG1Y
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
During exchange with @Sen_JoeManchin, Trump takes a cheap shot at Obama: was "He was not proactive in getting a [guns] bill signed, in all fairness." pic.twitter.com/psyTvGFfEI
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump casually floats idea of "immediately" taking guns away from all people who are "mentally ill."
"I don't want mentally ill people to have guns." pic.twitter.com/OSfMGIYzJW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump accuses Pat Toomey and Joe Manchin of being "afraid of the NRA." pic.twitter.com/sO7rIz7Cfd
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump claims that none of the recent mass shootings would have occurred if there would have been "offensive firepower" in the area to stop them pic.twitter.com/WkdpoxaxLT
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump on arming teachers: "The reason I like it — I believe it will prevent it from happening. They are cowards and they're not going in [to schools] when they know they're going to come out dead. They're not going into a school where they know they're going to come out dead." pic.twitter.com/sA591HnFfi
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
During an exchange with @amyklobuchar, Trump demonstrates a child-like understanding of the legislative process pic.twitter.com/KiNmuxzBFM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump crushes @SteveScalise's dreams, tells him he doesn't think he should include concealed carry provisions in a guns bill pic.twitter.com/lqZHDoN8q5
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
TRUMP on video games: "The video games, movies, the internet stuff is so violent. It's incredible. I get to see things that you wouldn't be — you would be amazed at. I have a very young son who I look at some of the things he's watching and I say, how is that possible?" pic.twitter.com/nqedFqzbwt
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump claims that the NRA does not have as much power over him as other members of congress, accuses members of being "petrified" (The NRA spent $30 million to elect him) pic.twitter.com/BGyFzokuw6
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
HOUSE REPUBLICAN: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."
TRUMP: "That's true." pic.twitter.com/zutsGf5cUB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
TRUMP: "They are the most dangerous places, gun-free zones" pic.twitter.com/siTLYUuiGb
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Civic lessons with Trump: The president says he wants a "comprehensive" bill because it'd be more "beautiful" that way. pic.twitter.com/eqMXCHGLoB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump tells Joe Manchin: "Joe, you have to fix mental illness." pic.twitter.com/QLqCG6xyV9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
LOL @ChuckGrassley ranting about violent video games is like a parody of Grandpa on @TheSimpsons pic.twitter.com/O7HTmtajYJ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump just can't believe that Congress didn't fix America's gun problem sooner pic.twitter.com/SpIkvVFap8
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump's naïveté is stunning- his big takeaway from meeting is that members of Congress just need to get together & figure it out.
(He seems to think some combo of strengthening background checks, discriminating against mentally ill, & getting rid of gun-free zones will work) pic.twitter.com/O6rH9bgrXg
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
Trump seems to think weapons used in mass shootings are bought on "the black market."@SenFeinstein tells him, "You can go into a store and you can buy an AR-15." pic.twitter.com/0qDUEb6l86
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2018
