The Trump White House is quietly reaching out to Second Amendment organizations and high-level supporters to let them know that the president is no longer backing any form of “red flag” firearms legislation or changes to the current background check laws, according to sources familiar with the conversations.
According to one individual who spoke to Bearing Arms on the condition of anonymity, the White House is instead looking to focus efforts on mental health, and is “looking at something along the lines of Cornyn’s bill”, a reference to Sen. John Cornyn’s RESPONSE Act unveiled this week. The source was careful to point out, however, that the White House has not endorsed the Cornyn proposal, and may not be on board with all of the provisions.
Gun control was pushed to the sidelines as Democrats kicked off their impeachment campaign, though one industry figure believes it was Beto O’Rourke and his push to ban and confiscate so-called “assault weapons” that scuttled the discussions between the White House and gun control supporters in Congress, not the impeachment proceedings themselves.