White House vows to help arm teachers and backs off raising age for buying guns

[Right_in_Virginia]

White House vows to help arm teachers and backs off raising age for buying guns
Washington Post, Mar 11, 2018, Phillip Rucker

The White House on Sunday vowed to help provide “rigorous firearms training” to some schoolteachers and formally endorsed a bill to tighten the federal background checks system, but it backed off President Trump’s earlier call to raise the minimum age to purchase some guns to 21 years old from 18 years old.

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Rather, the president is establishing a Federal Commission on School Safety, to be chaired by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, that will explore possible solutions, such as the age requirement for purchases, officials said. ...  Democratic lawmakers and gun-control advocates accused Trump of succumbing to pressure from the NRA and other special-interest groups.

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But the White House plan released Sunday does not address the minimum age for gun purchases. Pressed by reporters about the apparent backtracking, a senior administration official said the age issue was “a state-based discussion right now” and would be explored by DeVos’s commission. ...

The administration also is urging all states to pass risk-protection orders, as Florida recently did, allowing law enforcement officers to remove firearms from individuals who are considered a threat to themselves or others and to prevent them from purchasing new guns, Bremberg said.

Lastly, the administration wants to better integrate mental health, primary care and family services programs, and the president has ordered a full audit and review of the FBI tip line, he said. The FBI has said it ignored a warning that 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz might attack a school just weeks before he allegedly carried out the rampage in Parkland.


More:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-vows-to-help-arm-teachers-and-backs-off-raising-age-for-buying-guns/2018/03/11/14da0c8e-253a-11e8-bc72-077aa4dab9ef_story.html?utm_term=.fcd310ee3f60

[Right_in_Virginia]

WH unveils proposals to 'harden' schools in wake of Fla. shooting
The Hill, Mar 11, 2018, Brett Samuels

The Trump administration on Sunday unveiled a series of proposals on school safety and gun restrictions in the wake of the recent shooting in Florida, including a push for states to provide firearms training for school staff members. 

White House officials said the administration will establish a federal commission to assess how to best address gun violence in schools, though it will not propose any legislation of its own. The administration will also not push for universal background checks or an increase in the age requirement to purchase a rifle.

Instead, as part of an effort to "harden" American schools, officials said the administration will provide assistance to states to arm teachers, encourage them to pass laws keeping guns away from dangerous individuals and call on Congress to pass legislation strengthening the national background check system.

The Department of Justice will use existing programs to help schools partner with state and local law enforcement to provide “rigorous firearm training to qualified personnel" on a voluntary basis, after President Trump  has repeatedly voiced support for arming teachers, officials said. The president has argued against "gun-free zones," saying they attract shooters.  The White House said it will also support the transition of law enforcement and ex-military personnel into education careers.

Additionally, the administration is calling on states to adopt extreme risk protection orders, which would allow law enforcement to obtain a court order and temporarily take firearms away from individuals deemed a threat to themselves or others.

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At the federal level, the president is calling on Congress to....


More: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/377872-white-house-unveils-new-gun-proposals-in-wake-of-florida-shooting#.WqXO4b_c2a4.twitter