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NRA Warns Trump Not to Back Tighter Gun Restrictions

The president has expressed concern that tighter gun restrictions could cost him votes despite polls that say 70 percent of voters want tougher gun laws.

The NRA has warned President Donald Trump against support for a background check bill that would make it harder for people to buy firearms, according to the Washington Post. NRA chief Wayne LaPierre reportedly told Trump on Tuesday that supporting such a measure or one that sought to ban assault weapons could cost him votes and party support, despite a separate report by Politico that suggests a majority of voters support such measures. The Politico/Morning Consult poll showed that most Republicans would support banning assault-type weapons and that nearly 70 percent of all voters also back such a ban. Both groups supported tougher background checks. Still, the president on Wednesday claimed that there was “no political appetite” for introducing such legislation on an assault rifle ban, suggesting that he was taking the NRA warning to heart. “There is a great appetite, and I mean a very strong appetite, for background checks,” Trump said Wednesday when visiting Texas and Ohio after twin mass shootings last weekend. “And I think we can bring up background checks like we’ve never had before.”