White House Gun Proposals Retreat From Age Restrictions

The White House backed off President Trump’s calls to raise the minimum age for gun purchase to 21 from 18 years old in policy proposals announced Sunday. The proposals backed “rigorous firearms training” for select teachers and “formally endorsed” a bill to tighten the background-check system—but did not address the age restriction the president has vocally supported. According to The Washington Post, the plans do not include “any substantial changes to gun laws,” despite widespread calls for restricting the ease of purchase for guns across the nation after last month’s Parkland school shooting. Instead, the plan includes the establishment of the Federal Commission on School Safety, which will be chaired by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to further “explore possible solutions.” DeVos called the proposals “a pragmatic plan to dramatically increase school safety,” and told reporters Sunday night that the minimum-age issue was “a state-based discussion right now” that would be looked into by the commission. The president had publicly and repeatedly gone against the stances of the National Rifle Association, which supports arming teachers in the classroom and opposes age restrictions to purchase guns.