President Trump to Hold ‘Listening Session’ With Survivors of School Shootings
President Trump will host individuals impacted by some of the country's worst school shootings for a listening session at the White House on Wednesday, according to press secretary Sarah Sanders.
The listening session began at approximately 4:15 PM ET in the State Dining Room in the White House
Sanders told reporters Tuesday that community members and victims from last week's Parkland, Florida, school shooting, as well as victims from the Columbine and Sandy Hook shootings, have been invited to meet at the White House. Sanders said the listening session would focus on a “wide range of issues.”
Trump will meet with law enforcement officials Thursday.
While nothing concrete has yet come across the president's desk with regard to gun control legislation, Mr. Trump signaled yesterday that he would be open to reviewing a bipartisan bill that addresses the national background check system.
“The President has expressed his support for efforts to improve the federal background check system, and, in the coming days, we will continue to explore ways to ensure the safety and security of our schools,” Sanders said at Tuesday's briefing.
On Tuesday, the president announced he had directed the Department of Justice to draft regulations that would ban any bump stocks, devices that would turn legal, semi-automatic firearms into automatic weapons. Those devices were used in the Las Vegas shooting in October. The announcement marked the first time the president has proposed a specific policy solution related to gun control.
The White House also suggested the president may also be open to addressing an age limit for those who purchase an AR-15, a high-caliber weapon commonly used in shooting tragedies like the one in Parkland.
Gun Polling
Quinnipiac Poll: US Support for Gun Control Tops 2-1
From February 16 - 19, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,249 voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points. Live interviewers call landlines and cell phones.
Do you support or oppose a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons?
Support: 67%
Oppose: 29%
Don’t know: 4%
Do you approve or disapprove of President Trump's response to the recent school shooting in Florida?
Approve: 33%
Oppose: 52%
Don’t know: 15%
Do you think it is too easy to buy a gun in the U.S. today, too difficult to buy a gun in the U.S. today, or about right?
Too easy: 67%
Too difficult: 3%
About right: 25%
Don’t know: 4%
If more people carried guns, do you think the United States would be safer or less safe?
Safer: 33%
Less safe: 59%
Don’t know: 9%
Washington Post-ABC News Poll: 60 Percent Say Trump, Congress Not Doing Enough to Stop Mass Shootings
The poll, conducted Feb. 15-18, surveyed 808 adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Washington Post-ABC News Poll Breakdown:
- 62 percent say Trump is not doing enough to stop mass shootings, compared to 29 percent who say he is.
- 77 percent say Congress is not doing enough, while 19 percent say it is.
- 50 percent support a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons, compared to 46 percent who oppose it.
- 77 percent say the high school shooting in South Florida could have been prevented with more effective mental health screening and treatment, while 16 percent disagree.
- 58 percent say it could have been prevented by stricter gun control laws, compared to 37 percent who disagree.
- 57 percent say mass shootings are more a reflection of problems identifying and treating people with mental health problems, while 28 percent blame inadequate gun control.
Did President Obama Do Anything About Gun Safety?
During his first term in office, Obama didn't call for any major new restriction on guns or gun owners. Instead, he urged authorities to enforce the state and federal laws already on the books. In fact, Obama signed only two major laws that address how guns are carried in America, and both actually expand the rights of gun owners.
One of the laws allows gun owners to carry weapons in national parks; that law took effect in February 2012 and replaced President Ronald Reagan's policy that required guns be locked in glove compartments of trunks of cars that enter national parks.
Another gun law signed by Obama allows Amtrak passengers to carry guns in checked baggage, a move that reversed a measure put in place after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Obama made curtailing gun violence a central theme of his second-term agenda after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.
In January 2013, President Obama has unveiled a plan to address gun violence in the nation. The initiative consists of 23 executive actions and three presidential memoranda, most of which required congressional approval. In April 2013 the Senate blocked or defeated every Obama proposal that would ban certain military-style assault rifles and limit the size of ammunition magazines. They also voted down a measure to expand background checks to most gun sales.
In the last months of his presidency, the Obama administration implemented a law that would require the Social Security Administration to send records of beneficiaries with severe mental disabilities to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The law was due to take effect in December 2018, but on Feb 2nd the House voted 235-180 to roll back the rule.
Liberal media using movement to attack Trump and Others:
The #MeToo movement was fired up most recently by President Trump’s response to the firing of Robert Porter. This was over the accusations of physical assault of his two former wives.
President Trump released a tweet that sparked fire by the left. Trump’s tweet: “People’s lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused—life and career gone. Is there no such thing any longer as due process?”
The New York Times responded to that tweet, stating: “Trump’s tweet appeared to raise doubts about the entire #MeToo movement.” They described his comments as “seeming indifference to claims of abuse.”
Further suggesting that “women en masse would view it as another reason to rally against the president.”
The New York Times portrayed Trump’s defense of Robert Porter as “politically dangerous”
The left media is hoping to use the current #MeToo movement to influence potential voters as another attack against Trump, this time targeting women to hate Trump.
Olympic Update:
Medal Count: Top Ten
#1 Norway: 33 total medals (13 gold; 11 silver; 9 bronze medals)
#2 Germany: 24 total medals (12 gold; 7 silver; 5 bronze medals)
#3 Canada: 21 total medals (9 golds; 5 silver; 7 bronze medals)
#4 Netherlands: 16 total medals (6 gold; 6 silver; 4 bronze medals)
#5 United States: 16 total medals (6 gold; 4 silver; 6 bronze medals)
#6 France: 14 total medals (5 gold; 4 silver; 5 bronze medals)
#7 Olympic Athletes from Russia: 13 total medals (0 gold; 4 silver; 9 bronze)
#8 Japan: 11 medals total (3 gold; 5 silver; 3 bronze medals)
#9 Austria: 10 medals total (4 gold; 2 silver; 4 bronze medals)
#10 South Korea: 9 medals total (4 gold; 3 silver; 2 bronze)
U.S. vs. Czech Republic Hockey Game:
On Tuesday, February 20th, the U.S hockey team competed against the Czech Republic hockey team. The game ended in a U.S. loss in the quarterfinals. The U.S. was ousted from the Olympics with a 3-2 overtime loss. The U.S. scored first and then the Czech’s tied it up and the U.S. struggled to keep the lead from that point forward. The Czechs will now face either the Athletes from Russians (OAR) or Norway as they race for gold continues.
TV Coverage of the game:
The game was aired at 10:10pm ET on Wednesday Feb. 20th. It was broadcast live on NBCSN and CNBC in addition to live coverage online. NBC choose to have live coverage of figure skating over covering the men’s ice hockey game.
“The women’s short program had concluded about the time the men’s hockey team forced overtime, and still viewers got interviews and analysis in the wake of another lackluster showing by U.S. figure skaters.”
NBC didn’t comment as to why the end of the game wasn’t put on NBC after figure skating had concluded.
Mail Time!
- My comment to the protesting teenagers would be - instead of protesting, do something constructive. Treat these unpopular kids like you would your friends. Quit bullying them and making fun of them. Kids just want to feel like they belong and are important. That is how to change this culture. Treat all people with respect.
- I agree with your tweet, that students from the Florida shooting are being exploited. All those student’s children were traumatized and will carry the scars forever. I understand the students have planned rallies across the country to demand increased protection from violence. But nationwide events take a lot of money to organize. I wonder who is providing the financing to further their own agenda?
- Hello, Bill. How about giving us some pointers on taking our Country back.
- I was not surprised when I saw and heard your analysis of the Florida shooting. That was grade A stuff, but that is what I expect from you. However, I was floored over the statistics you brought up about homicides and deaths from the use of guns. Wow have we been deceived by the media over that. I as a former cop (20 years with the NYCPD. Retired as a Lieutenant) I have strong feelings about the 2nd amendment. I believe that the government should require all citizens of the age of 25 to 95 to undergo firearms training and to own and maintain and carry when practical a loaded firearm at all times. Each citizen should have to be recertified every 3 years so as to maintain the skills necessary to utilize their firearms and to make sure that they are educated about when they can, should or not use deadly physical force. It would make a very polite society and reduce crime by an unbelievable amount.
Word of the Day: Palter |
