Trump tries to draw line but students and parents take initative at town hall meeting

Developments on Day 398 of the Trump Adminstration:

Under further pressure — including by survivors of last week’s mass killing at a Florida high school — Donald Trump falls back on a proposal to arm teachers in schools.

Trying to rally after the unexpected campaign led by students from Douglas High School, where 17 classmates and teachers were slain on February 14, Trump made a small concession on Tuesday with a call for a ban on bump stocks, which convert semi-automatic guns into automatic weapons, and he said legislators should pursue background checks.

Then the White House put Trump into a meeting with parents and students on Wednesday. The Administration tried to control the event by not inviting any of the students who have led the call for actions, but those who attended still challenged Trump. The father of one victim asked, “How many children have to get shot? We’re here because my daughter has no voice — she was murdered last week, shot nine times.” A student cried as he said assault weapons must be banned: “Let’s never let this happen again — please, please.”

Holding crib notes which included “I hear you”, Trump looked attentive. But he ventured into risky territory when he said that the solution might lie in the arming of teachers, a favored proposal of advocates against gun control: “If you had a teacher who was adept at firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly.”

He tried to use the death of a Douglas High School wrestling coach, Aaron Feis, to press the case: “That coach was very brave, saved a lot of lives, I suspect. But if he had a firearm, he wouldn’t have had to run, he would have shot and that would have been the end of it.”

Trump also said he would press for strengthening of background checks, “We’re going to go very strongly into age — age of purchase.” He did not say if this would be linked, as in a GOP-led bill in the House of Representatives, to the easing of restrictions on carrying of concealed weapons across state lines.

Trump also did not reconcile his reference to enhanced mental health measures to his recent order lifting Obama-era checks on people with mental conditions.

“Why Do We Have to Be The Ones to Do This?”

But with the management of the event, the White House was able to limit any direct criticism of Trump amid the appeals for action. Many of the participants prefaced their remarks with praise for his leadership.

The mood was far different at the Florida town hall meeting, which included some of the Douglas High School survivors who were not invited by the White House. Students, teachers, and parents pressed Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson and Representative Ted Deutch about whether they would support banning certain assault-style rifles and would refuse to take money from the National Rifle Assocation, which gave $3.3 million alone to Rubio last year.

Trump declined an invitation to the discussion.

“We would like to know why do we have to be the ones to do this? Why do we have to speak out to the (State) Capitol? Why do we have to march on Washington, just to save innocent lives?” asked Ryan Deitsch.

He challenged NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, who tried to hold a line with general support of some background checks, saying too many people who should not be able to buy guns are getting through cracks in the system.

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed last week, tried to get Rubio’s admission that semi-automatic assault weapons — like the AR-15 used in the attack — are the issue: “Sen. Rubio, I want to like you. Here’s the problem. ….Your comments this week and those of our President have been pathetically weak. Look at me and tell me guns were the factor in the hunting of our kids in the school this week.”

Rubio replied, “I’m saying that the problems we are facing here today cannot be solved by gun laws alone.”

Student Cameron Kasky asked Rubio to turn down campaign contributions from the NRA, but the Senator would not commit:
“The influence of these groups comes not from money. You can ask that question and I can say that people buy into my agenda.”