White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Monday that President Trump, while not supportive of major gun control reform efforts, will work with Congress on improving the federal firearm purchaser background check system, and help encourage routine enforcement of laws already on the books.
.@PressSec: “the President is supportive of efforts to improve the Federal background check system.” pic.twitter.com/4IGLMkV490
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) February 19, 2018
The bill is already part of a gun reform package introduced by Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), and, according to CNN, is designed to provide funding to agencies tasked with completing and enforcing federal background checks so that inter-departmental communications systems can be improved.
The proposed law is the result of a previous mass shooting that took place in a church in Texas, where the gunman, who had a “violent criminal history” that should have prevented him from purchasing weapons, was allowed to obtain a firearm. In that case, a U.S. military system, where the shooter was tagged as a potential threat, didn’t share its information with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
The legislation says that it will hold “federal agencies accountable if they fail to upload relevant records to the background check system through public reporting and prohibiting bonus pay for political appointees.”
Although Democrats criticized the president over the weekend for dragging his feet on gun control, Trump has been surprisingly responsive to a pressure campaign designed to push anti-gun legislation, though he seems to be focusing more on enforcing laws on the books more effectively than introducing any new measures.
Trump will also hold a town-hall style “listening session” with concerned teachers and students on Wednesday, The Daily Caller reports, and Vice President Mike Pence suggested Sunday that the White House is considering measures to address a “mental illness” issue they say is plaguing America’s schools.