Students who walked out of their classes at Montgomery County, Maryland schools, protest against gun violence in front of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
WASHINGTON, February 25 (Reuters) - The National Rifle Association pushed back on Sunday against modest proposals by President Donald Trump and other Republicans to change U.S. gun laws in the wake of a school shooting in Florida that killed 17 students and staff.
The powerful gun lobby group does not support Trump's proposals to raise the age limit for buying certain types of guns and to ban bump stocks that enable semi-automatic rifles to shoot hundreds of rounds a minute, a spokeswoman said on ABC’s “This Week.”
"The NRA doesn’t back any ban," Dana Loesch said.
Trump was endorsed by the NRA in his 2016 presidential election campaign and often trumpets his support for the constitutional right to own guns.
But the Feb. 14 massacre at a Florida high school has mobilized high school students to push for restrictions on gun sales, spurred several companies to sever ties with the NRA and energized gun-control activist groups.
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People sign up at the booth for the National Rifle Association (NRA) at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 23, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts[/caption]
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National Rifle Association (NRA) spokeswoman Dana Loesch speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 22, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque[/caption]
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U.S. President Donald Trump bows his head during a prayer as he sits between Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivors and students Julia Cordover (L) and Carson Abt (R) as the president hosts a listening session with high school students and teachers to discuss school safety at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 21, 2018 REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst[/caption]
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Students who walked out of their Montgomery County, Maryland, schools protest against gun violence in front of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque[/caption]
As November congressional elections draw closer, Trump and Republicans are under pressure to show they are responding to concerns about school safety without angering supporters who oppose gun control.
Since the Florida shooting, Trump has declared support for raising the age limit to 21 from 18 for buying rifles. The 19-year-old shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida had bought his AR-15 semi-automatic rifle legally.
"That’s what the NRA came out and said, that’s correct," Loesch said when pressed on whether the group opposes raising the minimum age.
Trump also has asked the Justice Department to develop a regulation that would effectively ban the sale of bump stocks, an accessory used last year by a shooter who killed 58 people at a Las Vegas outdoor concert, the deadliest attack by a single gunman in U.S. history.
Trump has also said he supports legislation to tighten up background checks for gun buyers, but has not provided specific details.
Trump has, however, also endorsed the idea - backed by the NRA in the wake of the 2012 shooting at an elementary school in Newton, Connecticut - to arm trained teachers with guns.
Loesch said the group believes it should be left to individual schools to decide whether to arm teachers. On Saturday, Trump said on Twitter the proposal would be left "up to states."
Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican and NRA member who is expected to run for the U.S. Senate in November congressional elections, told Fox News Sunday that he supports raising the age to buy guns, even though that puts him at odds with the lobby group.
"Here’s what you have to do in this job. You have to weigh individual rights, which I clearly believe in ... But you also have to make sure you protect your citizens, your kids," Scott said. He said he does not agree that teachers should be armed.
Loesch downplayed the emerging differences between the NRA and the White House.
"I know that people are trying to find daylight between President Trump and 5 million law-abiding gun owners," she said. "He’s really looking for solutions ... so far nothing’s been proposed yet."
Loesch said more emphasis should be placed on how the FBI and local police missed warning signs and tips about the shooter, calling it an "abdication of duty."
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has come under fire after a deputy at the school at the time of the shooting stayed outside. Several news reports said that three other deputies were slow to enter the building.
Israel said on CNN he had no plans to resign and said the department would investigate all aspects of the shooting.
