Face of Nation : U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Friday he could persuade the powerful National Rifle Association lobby group to drop its strong opposition to gun restrictions after recent mass shootings that have reignite the gun control debate. The NRA – one of the most powerful lobbies in the United States and a frequent donor to Republican politicians – has for decades rejected gun control efforts. It indicated in a statement on Thursday that it still opposed further gun restrictions.
But Trump said the NRA should have input on the issue and might come around to supporting tighter background checks on gun buyers or at least be “a little more neutral” on the issue. Following attacks last weekend that killed 31 people in Texas and Ohio, Trump said the United States needs meaningful background checks on gun buyers “so that sick people don’t get guns.”
“Frankly, we need intelligent background checks. This isn’t a question of NRA, Republican or Democrat,” he told reporters at the White House. Trump said that many attempts to restrict gun ownership have stalled in Congress in the past “but there’s never been a president like President Trump.”
“I have a great relationship with the NRA,” he said. Pressure from the group helped force the Republican president to back down on supporting tighter gun laws last year despite national outrage at the fatal shootings of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
The group spent $30.3 million to support Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a group that tracks campaign spending. “I had a good talk with (NRA head) Wayne (LaPierre) and I like Wayne,” Trump said. He wrote on Twitter that he had “been speaking to the NRA, and others, so that their very strong views can be fully represented and respected.” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, in a Twitter posting on Friday, said “it will be nearly impossible to accomplish anything meaningful to address gun violence” if Trump requires pre-approval by the NRA.
