In the wake of the horrific Valentine's Day school massacre in Florida, the Trump administration expressed its support Monday for legislation that would increase federal background checks for gun purchases.
President Trump is "supportive" of measures to ramp up the federal background system for guns, the White House said.
"While discussions are ongoing and revisions are being considered, the president is supportive of efforts to improve the federal background check system," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday.
Trump has reportedly spoken with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, about the plan. He has also met with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., to talk about his legislative agenda and discuss the shooting.
"It's clear the president is interested in getting something done," a Cornyn spokesman told the Washington Examiner.
Cornyn has already introduced a bill called the Fix NICS Act, which references the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The NICS system processed more than 25 million applications in 2017. It relies on state and federal officials to provide reports concerning criminal convictions and mental illnesses that would legally prohibit individuals from buying firearms.
Cornyn's bill seeks to penalize federal agencies if they don't provide pertinent details about criminal history to the NICS system. The legislation is sponsored by Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal. It has passed the House and is endorsed by the National Rifle Association.
The plan also suggests providing states with financial incentives to report background information more thoroughly and accurately.
Cornyn proposed the legislation after it was revealed the U.S. Air Force failed to alert federal law enforcement about Texas church shooter Devin Kelley's violent past. Kelley had been convicted of domestic violence in 2014 when he served at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. He served a year in prison and was expelled from the military for bad conduct. The Air Force acknowledged that it didn't follow policies for reporting Kelley's history to federal authorities. Kelley passed federal background checks, purchased firearms and killed 26 Texas churchgoers in November of last year.
Florida shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz, 19, had obtained as many as 10 rifles in the last year, CNN reported. Authorities said the AR-15 he used to kill 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was purchased legally. The FBI admitted "protocols were not followed" after the agency received a tip that Cruz was threatening to kill people.
Trump called it "very sad" that the FBI missed the signs that Cruz was unstable and planning a bloody school massacre.
"Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable," he tweeted Saturday. "They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign - there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!"
During his presidential campaign, Trump was vocal in his opposition to gun-control measures, telling a National Rifle Association convention he'd "never, ever infringe" on the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
On Sunday, Trump surveyed members of his Mar-a-Lago resort about their feelings on gun-control issues, according to the Washington Post. The president reportedly asked the members if they felt he should take a more active position on gun-control measures. Trump also said he will be watching media interviews with student survivors of last week's school shooting.
The White House said the president will host a "listening session" to hear student input on school safety measures.
On Saturday, Trump pointed the finger at Democrats who didn't pass gun control legislation when they had control of Congress and the presidency, claiming "they didn't want to."
He tweeted: "Just like they don't want to solve the DACA problem, why didn't the Democrats pass gun control legislation when they had both the House & Senate during the Obama Administration. Because they didn't want to, and now they just talk."