Trump Seems Unaware of Last Major Gun-Control Push
Trump claimed 2013’s Manchin-Toomey bill “didn’t have a lot of presidential backing.” But Obama backed it.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
During President Trump’s Wednesday meeting with member of Congress about gun policy, the president displayed a stunning lack of knowledge about the last major gun-control fight in Washington. The Manchin-Toomey proposal, which was last debated in 2013, included more background checks and more access to the nation’s criminal-check system. President Obama vociferously backed the bill, the NRA was against it, and it ultimately failed in the Senate. Despite Obama’s famous push for the amendment, in the wake of the deadly Sandy Hook school shooting, Trump suggested it “didn't have a lot of presidential backing” after admitting he didn’t know much about the proposal. He then asked Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) if the bill had raised the age limit of buying an AR-15, which Toomey said it did not. Trump told Toomey, “you're afraid of the NRA” for not including that measure.
WATCH: President Trump asks Sen. Toomey if his bill addresses age limits on firearm purchases.
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 28, 2018
Sen. Toomey: "We didn't address it, Mr. President."
President: Trump: "You know why? Because you're afraid of the NRA." pic.twitter.com/vlkrFEQszO
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