‘The shame he has brought’: Trump slammed for bragging that he did nothing about gun control as President
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA: During a Friday, February 9, event in Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump bragged to a crowd of National Rifle Association members that his government "did nothing" about firearms.
After inciting fears that the incumbent president intends to "confiscate your guns and annihilate your God-given right to self-defense," Trump remarked on how he handled the demand for more stringent gun-control laws.
What did Trump say about his administration’s handling of stricter gun legislation?
“During my four years, nothing happened!” the former President recalled. “And there was great pressure on me having to do with guns. We did nothing. We didn’t yield. And once you yield a little bit, that’s just the beginning. That’s (when) the avalanche begins.”
Trump's administration witnessed three significant mass shootings: the first in Las Vegas in 2017, the second in Texas' Sutherland Springs the following month, and the third in February 2018 at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, according to a report from the Daily Beast.
Trump: During my four years, I did nothing on guns pic.twitter.com/SYrBIpbXE7
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 9, 2024
Following each mass shooting incident, then-President Trump couldn't resist tying his remarks about the tragic occurrences together with his unrelated, politically motivated criticism of the FBI in his tweets.
In 2019, more subsequent shootings took place at a Santa Fe, Texas high school, a Pittsburgh synagogue, a Thousand Oaks, California nightclub, an El Paso, Texas Walmart, and outside a Dayton, Ohio bar, all in the same month.
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Trump claimed to a receptive crowd that his government "did nothing" to limit gun restrictions, but the evidence clearly contradicts his claim.
For instance, he outlawed bump stocks following the Las Vegas shooter's use of the equipment to discharge multiple rounds of bullets simultaneously.
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However, the majority of Trump's actions as POTUS have gone in the opposite direction, such as rolling back an Obama-era policy of background checks for those with mental illnesses.
He abandoned previous measures to combat gun violence in late 2019, under pressure from the NRA and with a former gun lobbyist serving as his deputy assistant.
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The former President has stuck to his guns even after leaving the White House, saying at an NRA convention in 2022 that arming teachers is the best course of action following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
On Friday, Trump almost demanded that the National Rifle Association back his presidential bid.
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“They better endorse me,” the 77-year-old GOP presidential frontrunner remarked, vowing that “no one will ever lay a finger on your firearms” if he’s re-elected.
The NRA, with whom Trump claims to have a "great relationship," did so in 2016 and 2020, and given his unabashedly pro-gun assertions onstage on Friday night, it is likely that they will do so once again this year.
Internet slams Trump for bragging his administration 'did nothing' about guns
People on X lambasted the former President for tooting his own horn when it comes to denying and disregarding calls for stricter gun-control measures during his tenure at the White House.
Trump: During my four years, I did nothing on guns pic.twitter.com/SYrBIpbXE7
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 9, 2024
One X user remarked: "Trump was the biggest do nothing president in history."
Trump was the biggest do nothing president in history
— JoeyBonanno (@RealJoeBonanno) February 10, 2024
Another user said: "Hey remember Parkland? Cause I do. Maybe doing nothing on guns isn't the flex you think it is."
Hey remember Parkland? Cause I do. Maybe doing nothing on guns isn't the flex you think it is
— Bill DeMayo (@BDeMayo) February 9, 2024
Another user claimed: "Trump did nothing on a lot of things."
One user quipped: "He’s making the ad man’s job too easy"
Another X user wrote: "You sent thoughts and prayers. And that was it. Criminal!"
Finally, this user tweeted: "He’s doesn’t care one bit about all the people who died from gun violence during his Presidency. Another example of the shame he has brought to the “shining city on the hill”. Vote for him and continue to watch the deterioration of the nation."
He’s doesn’t care one bit about all the people who died from gun violence during his Presidency. Another example of the shame he has brought to the “shining city on the hill”. Vote for him and continue to watch the deterioration of the nation
— Lou D (@gpadini) February 10, 2024
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.