Trump Embrace of NRA Brings Old Obstacle to Latest Gun Debate

• February 23 2018
• Jennifer Epstein

Efforts to quickly address gun violence in the wake of a mass shooting at a Florida high school are beginning to face a familiar political reality, as gun-rights advocates reassert their traditional power in Washington.

Efforts to quickly address gun violence in the wake of a mass shooting at a Florida high school are beginning to face a familiar political reality, as gun-rights advocates reassert their traditional power in Washington.

For just over a week, those pushing for a range of restrictions on firearms held the day as the National Rifle Association remained mostly silent. That ended Thursday when President Donald Trump embraced the group and offered support for arming teachers and other school personnel -- a position the NRA and many Republicans have long advocated and Democrats fiercely reject.

Trump on Friday is scheduled to address the Conservative Political Action Conference -- the same group of conservatives that NRA Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre spoke to the day before. LaPierre was met with hearty applause as he accused Democrats and “elites” of wanting to “eradicate all individual freedoms.”

It isn’t clear whether Trump will address gun violence in his speech at CPAC, but he has already voiced support for a number of controversial policies -- on Thursday he suggested paying bonuses to teachers who carry guns in the classroom.

His comments were in stark contrast to earlier this week when he called for tougher gun laws than he’s backed since before he began running for president in 2015, including a proposal to strengthen the federal background check system and raising the minimum age for buying a semi-automatic weapon to 21, something the powerful NRA has made clear it opposes.

Biggest Lobby

But he heaped praise on the NRA Thursday, calling its leaders "good people" who are "ready to do things" to guard against gun violence. He’s relied heavily on the group’s positions and talking points -- including the call for some teachers and other adults in schools carry guns, and suggesting that violent movies and video games are to blame for some shootings committed by young Americans. 

“Not surprised the NRA reeled President Trump back in,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Thursday. “Just amazed at how fast it happened.”

The NRA is one of the biggest spenders in elections, ranking ninth among all outside groups, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. In 2016, the organization’s political arms spent $54.4 million influencing elections, Federal Election Commission records show, including $19.8 million attacking Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and $11.4 million promoting Trump. 

The NRA also spent $500,000 or more on seven Senate races, including in battleground states Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin.

LaPierre said Thursday that those in favor of tighter gun laws ”want to sweep right under the carpet the failure of school security, the failure of family, the failure of America’s mental health system, and even the unbelievable failure of the FBI.” Like Trump, he called for armed security at schools and said that "gun-free zones" make for easy targets, something that Trump has also said this week.

Still, Trump pledged to take action at an emotional White House meeting on Wednesday with students, parents and teachers who have been affected by school shootings, including the Feb. 14 massacre at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead.

‘Need to Beat Them’

The president said Thursday that he believes his side is on board. "There’s a great feeling, including at the NRA, including with Republican senators, and hopefully Democrat senators and congressmen," he said at a meeting with state and local officials that included just one Democratic official, the mayor of Parkland.

Congressional Democrats have been mixed in their reaction to Trump’s apparent willingness to buck pro-gun orthodoxy, even if only on a smaller issue like age limits.

Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz said Thursday on Twitter that he wasn’t interested in deal-making on guns. "I am normally interested in compromise. Not this time," he wrote. "I cannot imagine a bill that would make a difference that the NRA supports. We don’t need to cut a deal with them, we need to beat them."

White House spokesman Raj Shah said Thursday the president was still open to proposals.

"The president is proposing ideas, he’s listening right now," Shah said."Right now we’re in a listening phase. I wouldn’t say that we are or aren’t going to propose something as specific as legislative language" but he will put forward something "a little more concrete."

Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP, which operates Bloomberg News, serves as a member of Everytown for Gun Safety’s advisory board and is a donor to the group. Everytown for Gun Safety advocates for universal background checks and other gun control measures.