The BBC reported 3/12/2018, in part:
"White House proposals to tackle the
threat of mass shootings in US schools fall short of a call by President
Donald Trump himself to raise the age limit for buying assault rifles.
Mr
Trump said he would work to raise the limit from 18 to 21 but his
actual action plan passes the issue to a new federal commission on
school safety.The plan also proposes to fund firearms training for teachers."
Ref: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43369991
What happened? Not too long ago President Trump was quoted as having said,
"I mean, so they buy a revolver - a handgun - they buy at the age of 21," he told school officials.
"And yet, these other weapons that we talk about... They're allowed to buy them at 18. So how does that make sense? We're going to work on getting the age up to 21 instead of 18."
Ref. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43369991
I too heard him say similar, on TV, when he was meeting with other lawmakers, at which time he told them that they were afraid of the NRA, and that it was OK to sometimes fight them. Turns out, apparently, he too is afraid of the NRA.
CNN reports: 3/12/2018:
"Trump's proposed Federal Commission on School Safety aims to develop a process to evaluate and make recommendations on school safety, the administration said."
Ref. https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/11/politics/white-house-gun-school-safety-proposals/index.html
Yahoo News reports the following 3/12/2018:
"On Saturday, Trump accused commissions like the one he’s appointing as being all talk and no action. “We can't just keep setting up blue-ribbon committees,” he said during a rally in Pennsylvania, adding all they did was “talk, talk, talk. Two hours later, then they write a report.”"
Ref. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/donald-trump-caves-gun-reform-115619972.html
Now, if the plan is to talk this particular gun issue to dead, hoping that people, including our students will forget about it, then the creation of such an all talk and no action committee makes sense.
Are we in a situation, where the man in the Oval Office thinks he has to follow the NRA, because he is the leader of the nation? When a leader makes brave, bold, and just statements one day, and then caves in to pressure by a minority group, like the NRA, then this nation, of ours, is like a ship without a rudder.
In conclusion, I hope this is all fake news, and our President has the backbone to do what is right, and what he said he will do. Yes, being a real leader is often times a lonely position.
This straight from the White House:
ReplyDelete"How to secure our schools
After the horrific shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school last month, President Donald J. Trump met with students, teachers, lawmakers, and local officials to hear every idea they had about how to keep violence out of America’s schools.
Every child in our Nation has a right to feel safe. To achieve that goal, the President will announce a series of actions to protect our children and their communities:
Hardening our schools: The Administration will make sure our schools are safe and secure—just like our airports, stadiums, and government buildings—with better training and preparedness.
Strengthening background checks and prevention: President Trump is supporting legislation and reforms to strengthen the background checks system and law enforcement operations.
Reforming mental health programs: The President is proposing an expansion and reform of mental health programs, including those that help identify and treat individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others.
Keeping the conversation going: In addition to these immediate actions, President Trump is establishing a Federal Commission on School Safety, chaired by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, to recommend policy and funding proposals for school violence prevention."
The last item above,'Keeping the conversation going', probably should be read as 'going and going and going'. Notice, no deadline was specified. Even Trump does not think much of commissions, neither do I.