by The rumors and news coming out of the White House with regard to gun control all included a proposal to raise the legal age to purchase a rifle or shotgun to age 21. Even Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah was saying on one of the Sunday morning news roundtables. As things stand now, that proposal has been shelved. I don’t know about you but I wrote both senators and my US representative yesterday strongly objecting to raising the age.
Given the White House has briefed the press but has not released a definitive public statement here is where things stand now:
- Federal Commission on School Safety headed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will study age restrictions and other restrictions, They will issue a report later.
- Improvements to the FBI’s tip line.
- Support for FixNICS Act.
- Support of the STOP School Violence Act which would allocate $50 million annually for school safety improvements including violence prevention training for teachers.
- Assist states in training teachers and other school staff in firearms use.
- Allow military vets and retired LEOs to work as school safety officers.
- Call on states to allow police, with court approval, to remove firearms from people who are a threat to themselves or others. It would also “temporarily” remove their ability to purchase firearms.
- Ban bump fire stocks (which was previously mentioned).
- Improve mental health systems to identify and treat treats. This would include “increased integration of mental health, primary health care and family services.”
UPDATE: Here is what the White House sent out with their “1600 Daily” email a few minutes ago:
How to secure our schools
After the horrific shooting at a
Parkland, Florida, high school last month,
President Donald J. Trump met with students,
teachers, lawmakers, and local officials to hear
every idea they had about how to keep violence
out of America’s schools.
Every child
in our Nation has a right to feel safe. To
achieve that goal, the President will announce a
series of actions to protect our children and
their communities:
- Hardening our
schools: The Administration will make
sure our schools are safe and secure—just like
our airports, stadiums, and government
buildings—with better training and
preparedness.- Strengthening
background checks and prevention:
President Trump is supporting legislation and
reforms to strengthen the background checks
system and law enforcement operations.- Reforming mental health
programs: The President is proposing
an expansion and reform of mental health
programs, including those that help identify
and treat individuals who may be a threat to
themselves or others.- Keeping the conversation
going: In addition to these immediate
actions, President Trump is establishing a
Federal Commission on School Safety, chaired
by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, to
recommend policy and funding proposals for
school violence prevention.
