Senior Republican figures played down expectations of significant gun reform legislation in the wake of the Florida shooting, as members of Congress returned to Capitol Hill after a week-long recess.
At a press conference on Tuesday, his first since the school shooting in Florida two weeks ago in which 17 people died, House speaker Paul Ryan indicated his opposition to further restrictions on gun ownership.
“We shouldn’t be banning guns for law-abiding citizens,” he said. “We should be focusing on making sure that citizens who shouldn’t get guns in the first place don’t get those guns.”
Mr Ryan said the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland on February 14th had revealed a “big breakdown in the system”. In particular, the FBI had not followed up on tips, and local school resources officers at the school had failed to protect students, he said.
On President Donald Trump’s proposal to arm teachers, Mr Ryan said it was a matter for states to decide, though he supported the idea personally. “As a parent myself and as a citizen, I think it’s a good idea, but as speaker of the House, I think we need to respect federalism and respect local jurisdictions.”
Background checks
Mr Ryan drew attention during his press conference to a recent Bill passed by the House of Representatives that strengthens background checks. It has now passed to the Senate. But the Bill also includes measures that would make it easier for gun owners to carry their guns over state lines, a top priority of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the influential pro-gun lobby group.
Speaking on the Senate floor on Tuesday, minority leader Chuck Schumer said the background check Bill that had been passed by the House was "tiny" in scope. "It doesn't make sense that we allow anyone, regardless of their criminal history or a history of mental illness, to walk into a gun show or go online and buy a gun, no questions asked," he said.
The Bill proposes penalising federal agencies that do not provide relevant information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check system, the nationwide database that is checked when citizens purchase firearms from gun stores.
The Senate may pass its own version of the Bill, without the connected legislation liberalising the laws on the right to carry concealed weapons across state lines. It would then fall to the House to choose whether to accept the background-check Bill only.
‘Bump stocks’
In a separate development, attorney general Jeff Sessions suggested that legislation on "bump stocks" may be forthcoming. The devices enable semi-automatic rifles to fire hundreds of rounds per minute and were used by the gunman who shot dead 58 people attending a concert in Las Vegas last October. Mr Sessions told a meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General that "we'll have something on that soon".
The NRA has indicated its support for some regulation of bump stocks but opposes an outright ban.
Mr Trump has called for the devices to be banned in the wake of the Florida shooting. He also favours a strengthening of background checks legislation. However, he has not reiterated his call for the minimum age for the purchasing of firearms to be raised from 18 to 21, a proposal opposed by the NRA and many Republicans.
