Trump Signals Support For Renewed Assault Weapons Ban
BY Herschel Smith
UPDATE: My oldest son points out that this is from a year ago. I asked him if that is important? He says, “The Art of War” is necessary for understanding Trump. It’s difficult to understand whether he’s serious or simply tactically owning or feigning positions. My response: Then why the red flag laws and bump stock ban?
Via Uncle, this isn’t the Onion. It’s real.
President Donald Trump raised the issue, unprompted, during a roughly hour-long televised meeting with Feinstein and other members of Congress Wednesday afternoon at the White House. “I think it’s something you have to think about,” Trump said at the gathering to discuss school safety. “It doesn’t make sense that I have to wait until I’m 21 to get a handgun but I can get this weapon at 18,” he added, referring to assault rifles.
Trump’s comments came the same day Feinstein and Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake formally rolled out their bipartisan legislation to raise the minimum age for purchasing assault weapons and high capacity magazines from 18 to 21. The California Democrat, sitting directly to the president’s left at the White House meeting, interjected at one point, asking if he’d sign legislation to raise the age to 21.
Trump said he’d give it “serious thought,” even though he acknowledged the National Rifle Association opposed such a proposal. The president said he’d been “asked that question more than any other question” in the wake of the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 people.
He also didn’t rule out the idea of outlawing assault weapons, like the semi-automatic AR-15 rifle gunman Nikolas Cruz used to mow down students and teachers at Stoneman Douglas High. Feinstein pitched her 2017 legislation to renew the ban at the beginning of the meeting, handing Trump a copy of the bill. She was the author of the original assault weapons ban that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1994. It expired in 2004.
Later, the president asked Sens. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Joe Manchin of West Virginia if they could fold Feinstein’s legislation (and another proposal from Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobucher) into their bipartisan background checks bill. “Can you add what Amy and Dianne have, can you add them in?” Trump asked. Feinstein’s gleeful reaction, smiling widely and appearing to plead with Toomey and Manchin, immediately began circulating on Twitter.
Don’t be surprised. The “Let’s make a deal” president famously said during his campaign that “Everything is negotiable.” By that he meant everything, including recognition of your rights. We all knew that then, and we still know it today. Nothing has changed.
Trump may be just a stupid hack with Northern progressive proclivities who doesn’t understand his base. But then he could also be a Manchurian candidate for the deep state. What else would explain his nomination of Sessions for AG, his leaving Mueller, Comey and Rosenstein in positions of authority, and his support for red flag laws and the bump stock ban? Who knows except him? In any case, time is running out, and the state is evolving to an even more draconian tyranny.
There is also the support by the NRA that organization will have to answer for. Was their support just stupid, or was there some ulterior motive?