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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 6 augusT 2019

Trump vows urgent action after shootings, offers few details

Continued from Front research does not link their
usage to shootings.
“We vow to act with urgent Additionally, Trump di-
resolve,” Trump said as the rected the Department
death toll from the shoot- of Justice to seek and pri-
ings in El Paso and Dayton oritize the enforcement of
reached 31 late Monday. the death penalty in cases
His scripted remarks includ- of hate crimes and mass
ed a solitary denunciation shootings. Congress has
of white supremacy , which proven unable to pass sub-
he has been reluctant to stantial gun violence legis-
criticize, and he made no lation this session, in large
mention of the anti-immi- part because of resistance
gration rhetoric found in from Republicans, particu-
an online screed posted larly in the GOP-controlled
just before the El Paso at- Senate. Trump himself has
tack that mirrored his own backed away from previ-
incendiary language. De- ous pledges to strengthen
tectives sought to deter- gun laws.
mine if it was written by the After other mass shootings
man who was arrested. he called for strengthening
The mayor of El Paso said the federal background
at a news conference that Vice President Mike Pence follows President Donald Trump as he walks off after speaking about check system, and in 2018
Trump would visit the city the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the he signed legislation to in-
Wednesday, though some White House, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019, in Washington. crease federal data shar-
local lawmakers and oth- Associated Press ing. In December 2018,
ers signaled opposition, mestic terrorism. “These sin- on the politics of division, tweeted. He suggested The Trump administration
and the Federal Aviation ister ideologies must be de- and aides say he views his early Monday on Twitter banned bump stocks, the
Administration advised pi- feated. Hate has no place road to reelection on again that a background check attachments that allow
lots of a presidential visit in America,” he said. sowing discord and unease bill could be paired with his semi-automatic weapons
to Dayton. At the White In the past, the president’s about cultural, economic long-sought effort to tough- to fire like machine guns
House, Trump declared, “In calls to the nation’s better and demographic chang- en the nation’s immigration and were used during the
one voice, our nation must angels, without renouncing es. Democrats on Monday system. But he didn’t say October 2017 shooting
condemn racism, bigotry his own divisive language accused Trump of foster- how or why he was con- massacre in Las Vegas.
and white supremacy.” about immigrants and po- ing an environment of hate necting the issues and did But Trump has resisted calls
He said he had directed litical opponents, have that led to the shootings, not elaborate on that pro- to toughen other gun con-
the FBI to examine steps to proved fleeting. His path to and they angrily renewed posal during his 10-minute trol laws. At a February
identify and address do- the White House was built their calls for his defeat address from the Diplomat- meeting with survivors and
next year. ic Reception Room. family members of the 2018
“He’s been racist from day He has frequently sought Parkland, Florida, school
one — before day one to tie his immigration pri- shooting in which 17 peo-
when he was questioning orities — a border wall and ple died, Trump promised
whether Barack Obama transforming the legal im- to be “very strong on back-
was born in the United migration system to one ground checks.” Trump
States,” said former Rep. that prioritizes merit over claimed he would stand
Beto O’Rourke, a 2020 family ties — to legislation up to the gun lobby and
presidential contender around which he perceives finally get results in quelling
who represented El Paso. momentum to be building. gun violence. But he later
“He’s trafficked in this stuff His latest proposals would retreated, expressing sup-
from the very beginning, mostly leave it to Congress, port for modest changes
and we are reaping right which is on recess, to sort to the federal background
now what he has sown and out solutions . check system and for arm-
what his supporters in Con- Adhering to what has be- ing teachers.
gress have sown. We have come a GOP talking point House Speaker Nancy Pe-
to put a stop to it.” of blaming mental illness losi and Senate Democrat-
Former President Obama and not firearms for mass ic leader Chuck Schumer
posted a statement in shootings, Trump signaled said Monday that Trump
which he called for the na- he would oppose large- should push the GOP-con-
tion to “soundly reject lan- scale gun control efforts trolled Senate to take up
guage coming out of the pushed by Democrats, say- the House’s background
mouths of any of our lead- ing, “hatred pulls the trig- check bills.
ers that feeds a climate ger, not the gun.” “It took less than three
of fear and hatred or nor- He called for law enforce- hours for the president to
malizes racist statements.” ment and social media back off his call for stronger
Obama did not mention companies to do more to background check legis-
the president by name. combat extremism and lation,” they said in a joint
Trump pointed to the me- spot warning signs of vio- statement. “When he can’t
dia. lence online. He also asked mention guns while talk-
“Fake News has contrib- for a reduction in the “glo- ing about gun violence,
uted greatly to the anger rification” of violence in it shows the president re-
and rage that has built American culture, includ- mains prisoner to the gun
up over many years,” he ing video games, though lobby and the NRA.”q