Trump's school shooting commission unveiled hours after he scoffed at a commission on drug crimes

(Image credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

published 12 March 2018

On Sunday, the White House rolled out its response to last month's mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, with several proposals to protect and "harden" schools but few changes to gun laws. The proposals do not include raising the age to purchase military-style rifles to 21 from 18, for example, despite President Trump prominently bucking the NRA to endorse the idea. Age requirements will be examined by the new Federal Commission on School Safety the White House announced Sunday, headed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

"I have actually asked to head up a task force that will really look at what states are doing," DeVos said Sunday on 60 Minutes. "See, there are a lot of states that are addressing these issues in very cohesive and coherent ways." On Saturday night, Trump did not seem so keen on commissions to solve big problems like school safety.

"Do you think the drug dealers who kill thousands of people during their lifetime, do you think they care who's on a blue-ribbon committee?" Trump asked at a rally outside Pittsburgh on Sunday night. "The only way to solve the drug problem is through toughness." He proposed executing people for dealing drugs. The Washington Post asked the White House "why Trump found commissions an inadequate response to the drug epidemic but an appropriate way to respond to gun massacres," and the White House did not answer directly. "There are not going to be one-size-fits-all approaches and solutions, and I think that that is a very cogent argument for having a commission," said a senior administration official who insisted on anonymity.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.