President Trump said Thursday he will push for comprehensive background checks “with an emphasis on mental health” for gun sales, saying that the age of purchasers should be raised to 21 and the sale of bump stocks should end.
“I will be strongly pushing Comprehensive Background Checks with an emphasis on Mental Health,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Raise age to 21 and end sale of Bump Stocks! Congress is in a mood to finally do something on this issue — I hope!”
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Lawmakers and activists are pushing for gun control after 17 people were killed at a school shooting in South Florida last week. The 19-year-old suspect in the shooting allegedly used a legally purchased AR-15 to carry out the attack, placing the rifle in the center of the debate.
During a listening session at the White House on Wednesday, a parent of one of the survivors of the shooting asked Trump to enact age restrictions for gun purchases, a move the president is reportedly considering for weapons like the AR-15.
Trump on Tuesday directed the Justice Department to put forward regulations to ban bump stocks, a device used to increase a semi-automatic rifle’s rate of fire.
Activists and lawmakers had pushed for a ban on bump stocks after last year’s Las Vegas shooting. The weapons used during that attack on an outdoor concert were reportedly outfitted with bump stocks, though the device was not used in last week’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.