Politics

White House: Trump Supports ‘Efforts To Improve’ Federal Background Check System

REUTERS/Eric Thayer

Saagar Enjeti White House Correspondent
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President Donald Trump is open to supporting bipartisan efforts to improve the federal background check system to buy weapons, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a Monday statement.

“While discussions are ongoing and revisions are being considered, the President is supportive of efforts to improve the Federal background check system,” Sanders said, adding that Trump spoke with Texas Senator John Cornyn Friday about prospective legislation.

Sander’s statement follows a declaration from vice president Mike Pence that school safety will be a “top priority” of the White House in the coming months. “We are going to remain focused on bringing renewed energy to making our schools safe and taking a renewed look at giving law enforcement and local authorities the tools they need to deal with individuals struggling with dangerous mental illness,” he declared.

Trump is also scheduled to hold a listening session Wednesday with high school students and teachers on safety.

Cornyn is spearheading efforts to improve the federal background check system in place for all U.S. citizens attempting to purchase a firearm. The Republican senator’s legislation would hold “federal agencies accountable if they fail to upload relevant records to the background check system through public reporting and prohibiting bonus pay for political appointees.”

Cornyn introduced the legislation after a November shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas by convicted domestic abuser Devin Kelley. Kelley was convicted of an offense that should have prohibited him from buying a gun while an active duty service-member. The Air Force however failed to submit Kelley’s information to the NIC’s database, enabling him to purchase multiple firearms.

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