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The Memo: Trump's gun pledge met with skepticism | TheHill

posted onAugust 12, 2019
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Article snippet: MORE says he will act on gun control in the wake of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio — but Democrats and liberal activists are skeptical, and even Republicans aren’t convinced.  Trump said on Friday he would favor “intelligent background checks.” He suggested there was bipartisan support for such an idea and evinced confidence that Senate Majority Leader MORE (R-Ky.) was also “on board” with the idea. But skeptics point to broadly similar comments the president made on gun control after another mass shooting — when 17 students were killed last year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. On that occasion, Trump backed away from substantive action after a meeting with representatives from the National Rifle Association (NRA). Gun control groups doubt that this time will be any different. “I don’t think Donald Trump has a lot of credibility on gun safety,” said Peter Ambler of Giffords, the gun control group co-founded by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). “In the aftermath of Parkland, he signaled openness to gun laws, only to see an NRA crack squad head over to the White House and huddle with him. Hours after that, he was desperately backtracking,” he said. Ambler insisted that “the way for Donald Trump to prove that he is willing to do something on gun control is to stand up to the NRA and actually do it."  Trump allies, though, insist the president is sincere in his desire to enact some kind of measure that would, at a... Link to the full article to read more

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