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U.S. NEWS Thursday 22 February 2018
Do something! Trump hears emotional students, parents

cussed the idea of raising news showed footage of
the minimum age to pur- student survivors of the vio-
chase assault-type weap- lence marching on the Flor-
ons. Trump "suggested ida state Capitol, calling for
strongly that he was going tougher laws. The protests
to act to strengthen back- came closer to Trump, too,
ground checks," Rivera with hundreds of students
said. Sen. Dianne Feinstein from suburban Maryland
and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., attending a rally at the
said they will introduce a Capitol and then marching
bill to raise the minimum to the White House.
age required to purchase Daniel Gelillo, a senior at
rifles from gun dealers, in- Richard Montgomery High
cluding assault weapons who helped organize the
such as the AR-15. protest, said students were
"A kid too young buy a hoping to pressure lawmak-
handgun should be too ers to act. He said that "up
young to buy an #AR15," 'til now nothing has quite
Flake said on Twitter. The fazed them." On Tuesday,
bill he and Feinstein support Trump directed the Justice
would raise the minimum Department to move to
purchase age for non-mil- ban devices like the rapid-
itary buyers from 18 to 21, fire bump stocks used in last
the same age required to year's Las Vegas massacre.
Samuel Zeif, an 18-year-old senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., purchase a handgun. The White House has also
cries after speaking during a listening session with President Donald Trump and students and The NRA did not respond said Trump was looking at
teachers in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018.
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) to a request for comment. a bill that would strengthen
Trump embraced gun rights federal gun background
Continued from Front ing with National Rifle As- Television personality Ger- on his campaign, though checks. Republican Sen.
Parkland student Samu- sociation orthodoxy, in- aldo Rivera had dinner with he supported some gun Pat Toomey of Pennsylva-
el Zeif said he's heard of cluding age restrictions for Trump at his private Palm control before he became nia said Wednesday that
15-year-olds buying rifles. buying assault-type weap- Beach club over the week- a candidate, backing an he’ll probably reintroduce
Cary Gruber, father of a ons. Still, gun owners are a end and described Trump assault weapons ban and bipartisan legislation that
Parkland student, implored key part of his base of sup- as "deeply affected" by his a longer waiting period to would require background
Trump: "It's not left and porters. visit Friday with Parkland purchase a gun in a 2000 checks for all gun pur-
right," adding: "if you can't Over 40 people assembled survivors. In an email, Rive- book. Throughout the day chases online and at gun
buy a beer, shouldn't be in the State Dining Room. ra said he and Trump dis- Wednesday, television shows.q
able to buy a gun." Among the group were six
Andrew Pollack, whose students from Parkland, in-
daughter Meadow was cluding the student body
killed in the shooting, noted president, along with their
previous school massacres parents. Also present were
and raged over his loss, Darrell and Sandra Scott,
saying the moment wasn't whose daughter was killed
about gun laws but about in the Columbine, Colo-
fixing the schools. rado, shooting, and Nicole
"It should have been one Hockley and Mark Barden,
school shooting and we who lost children in Sandy
should have fixed it and Hook, Connecticut. Stu-
I'm pissed. Because my dents and parents from the
daughter, I'm not going to Washington area also were
see again," said Pollack. present. The student body
"King David Cemetery, that president at Marjory Stone-
is where I go to see my kid man Douglas High School,
now. Julia Cordover, tearfully
Trump solicited suggestions told Trump that she "was
from the group. He prom- lucky enough to come
ised to be "very strong on home from school."
background checks," add- She added: "I am confident
ing that "we're going to you will do the right thing."
do plenty of other things." Not all the students impact-
He also indicated interest ed by the shooting came
in the idea of concealed to the White House.
weapons for trained teach- David Hogg, who has been
ers, saying it was something one of the students actively
his administration would be calling for gun control was
"looking at it very strongly." invited but declined, said
A strong supporter of gun his mother Rebecca Bold-
rights, Trump has nonethe- rick.
less indicated in recent "His point was (Trump needs)
days that he is willing to to come to Parkland, we're
consider ideas not in keep- not going there," she said.