Trump âs shifting stance on guns leaves lawmakers baffled
In  his  quest to tackle gun violence   President Donald Trump  has ricocheted between calling for tougher laws and declaring  his  fealty to the Second Amendment's right to bear arms  leaving a trail of befuddled lawmakers and advocates in  his  wake.
One thing  he  still has not done: clearly outline  his  legislative priorities.
Washington's week closed Friday without further explanation from the president  the White House indicating that for now  at least   he  is backing an incremental proposal on background checks and a bill that would provide new federal dollars to stem school violence.
Just what  Trump  would like to see in the "beautiful" and "comprehensive" bill  he  called for earlier in the week remained unclear. That comment came at a bipartisan meeting with lawmakers Wednesday  which was quickly followed by a private session with the National Rifle Association on Thursday.
"Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA!"  Trump  tweeted Thursday night.
 He  had outlined some of  his  preferences via Twitter earlier Thursday  saying that both good and bad ideas had come out of the bipartisan meeting.  He  said: "Background Checks a big part of conversation. Gun free zones are proven targets of killers. After many years  a Bill should emerge. Respect 2nd Amendment!"
Disagreement continues among legislators over the appropriate response after the Florida school shooting that left 17 dead. Republicans have largely backed away from stricter gun limits  while Democrats emboldened by  Trump 's rhetoric are pushing for ambitious action  including expanded background checks and even a politically risky ban on assault weapons.
Still  he added: "Trump's instinct on this issue is not wrong â if his party doesn't get behind background checks soon  they're cooked in 2018 and 2020." And he argued that  Trump 's "willingness to buck the gun lobby in public  rule out the NRA agenda and talk up background checks  has changed this debate nationally."
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday that  Trump  supports a limited proposal from Sen. John Cornyn  R-Texas  and Murphy that would boost participation in the existing federal background check program  as well as a bill that would provide new federal grant funding to stem school violence.
Sanders said  Trump  had not signed on to a more sweeping background check bill that would require the review of firearm purchases online and at gun shows. The measure  from Sens. Pat Toomey  R-Pa.  and Joe Manchin  D-W.Va.  has found new momentum since it was first introduced after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that left 20 children dead.
Sanders sought to clarify  Trump 's comments earlier in the week expressing support for tougher background checks and interest in raising the minimum age to buy certain weapons. She said he was interested in improving background checks  but "not necessarily universal background checks." And she said that while  Trump  "conceptually" supports higher age requirements to purchase certain weapons  "he also knows there's not a lot of broad support for that."
In  his  quest to tackle gun violence    [TGT] has ricocheted between calling for tougher laws and declaring   [TGT]   fealty to the Second Amendment's right to bear arms  leaving a trail of befuddled lawmakers and advocates in   [TGT]   wake.
One thing   [TGT]   still has not done: clearly outline   [TGT]   legislative priorities.
Washington's week closed Friday without further explanation from the president  the White House indicating that for now  at least   he  is backing an incremental proposal on background checks and a bill that would provide new federal dollars to stem school violence.
Just what   [TGT] would like to see in the "beautiful" and "comprehensive" bill   [TGT]   called for earlier in the week remained unclear. That comment came at a bipartisan meeting with lawmakers Wednesday  which was quickly followed by a private session with the National Rifle Association on Thursday.
"Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA! [TGT] tweeted Thursday night.
  [TGT]   had outlined some of   [TGT]   preferences via Twitter earlier Thursday  saying that both good and bad ideas had come out of the bipartisan meeting.   [TGT]   said: "Background Checks a big part of conversation. Gun free zones are proven targets of killers. After many years  a Bill should emerge. Respect 2nd Amendment!"
Disagreement continues among legislators over the appropriate response after the Florida school shooting that left 17 dead. Republicans have largely backed away from stricter gun limits  while Democrats emboldened by  Trump 's rhetoric are pushing for ambitious action  including expanded background checks and even a politically risky ban on assault weapons.
Still  he added: "Trump's instinct on this issue is not wrong â if his party doesn't get behind background checks soon  they're cooked in 2018 and 2020." And he argued that  Trump 's "willingness to buck the gun lobby in public  rule out the NRA agenda and talk up background checks  has changed this debate nationally."
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday that   [TGT] supports a limited proposal from Sen. John Cornyn  R-Texas  and Murphy that would boost participation in the existing federal background check program  as well as a bill that would provide new federal grant funding to stem school violence.
Sanders said   [TGT] had not signed on to a more sweeping background check bill that would require the review of firearm purchases online and at gun shows. The measure  from Sens. Pat Toomey  R-Pa.  and Joe Manchin  D-W.Va.  has found new momentum since it was first introduced after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that left 20 children dead.
Sanders sought to clarify  Trump 's comments earlier in the week expressing support for tougher background checks and interest in raising the minimum age to buy certain weapons. She said he was interested in improving background checks  but "not necessarily universal background checks." And she said that while  Trump  "conceptually" supports higher age requirements to purchase certain weapons  "he also knows there's not a lot of broad support for that."