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White House: Trump Supports Improving Gun Background Checks

Amid mounting calls for tighter gun control from Florida shooting survivors.

President Trump supports efforts to improve the federal system for background checks in the purchase of firearms, the White House said Monday. “While discussions are ongoing and revisions are being considered, the President is supportive of efforts to improve the Federal background check system,” the White House said in a statement. Trump is said to have spoken to Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) on Friday about legislation the lawmaker introduced to improve the background check process. Trump’s vow of support for the effort comes amid mounting calls for gun control in the wake of a school shooting in Florida last week that killed 17 people. Students who survived the attack have put the pressure on Trump personally, accusing him of staying silent on gun control because of his campaign’s backing by the NRA. Trump, who ran as a pro-gun candidate, also expressed an openness to banning bump stocks after a deadly Las Vegas shooting last fall, though no significant progress has been made on that front. Last year, Trump revoked an Obama-era regulation making it harder for people with mental illness to purchase firearms.