President Trump on Wednesday gathered a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the White House to discuss gun control. Over the course of the lengthy meeting, Trump seemed to veer left on a host of issues, advocating for the Fix NICS bill, which would incentivize states to more thoroughly report information to the federal background checks database; scolding Republican Sen. Pat Toomey (Pa.) for being "scared of the NRA" after he said he does not support raising the age limit to purchase some firearms from 18 to 21; and reiterating his support for limiting the sale of bump stocks.
But the Trump statement that really got Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) grinning was when he stated his support for adding a ban on assault weapons to an existing piece of gun reform legislation co-sponsored by Toomey and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va). Feinstein was positively giddy at the idea:
Trump also shot down Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) when Scalise proposed that a measure allowing concealed-carry permits to cross state lines be added to a background check bill. "You'll never get this passed if you add concealed carry to this," Trump said. He also suggested that authorities be allowed to seize firearms from a potentially problematic individual without a court warrant, saying that it takes "so long to go to court to get the due process procedures," so he would prefer just "taking the guns early."
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Overall, Trump stated a desire for a "comprehensive" gun measure rather than piecemeal reform. "Some people don't like the word comprehensive," Trump said. "To me, I like the word 'comprehensive.' I'd rather have a comprehensive bill. ... It would really be nice to create something that's beautiful."
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