Donald Trump promised to tackle school safety and the difficult issue of mental health .
Donald Trump promised to tackle school safety and the difficult issue of mental health .
Trump promises to tackle mental health issues but doesn’t mention guns.
For a brief moment after the Las Vegas massacre in October last year, Republicans and Democrats in Congress talked about taking a rare step to tighten the nation's gun laws. Four months later, the only gun legislation that has moved in the House or Senate instead eases restrictions for gunowners.
The deaths of 58 people in Las Vegas and other mass shootings have sparked debate but have had scant impact on the march toward looser gun laws under the Republican-controlled Congress. There's little sign that the shooting deaths of 17 people at a Florida high school on Thursday will change that dynamic.
The conversation at the Capitol yesterday followed a familiar pattern. Many Democrats revived calls for tighter gun laws, while Republicans focused on the mental health of the accused shooter.
"As a parent, it scares me to death that this body doesn't take seriously the safety of my children, and it seems like a lot of parents in South Florida are going to be asking that same question," said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, a leading advocate of tighter gun control.
Following the Las Vegas shooting, Murphy and other lawmakers from both parties pushed to ban bump stocks, the device that allowed the shooter's semi-automatic rifles to mimic the rapid fire of machine guns.
Those efforts soon fizzled amid opposition from Republican leaders. Instead, the GOP-controlled House approved a bill in December making it easier for gun owners to legally carry concealed weapons across state lines.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said yesterday that Congress should focus on whether existing laws - including those designed to prevent mentally ill people from getting guns - are working.
"We need to think less about taking sides and fighting each other politically" and should instead pull together, Ryan said in comments that have become familiar.
President Donald Trump, in a solemn address to the nation, promised to "tackle the difficult issue of mental health", but avoided any mention of guns.
The 19-year-old suspect, Nikolas Cruz, is a troubled teenager who posted disturbing material on social media. He had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, for "disciplinary reasons," Broward County, Florida, Sheriff Scott Israel said.
The latest deadly shooting prompted Florida Senator Bill Nelson to declare, "enough is enough". Addressing those who say it's too soon to talk about gun violence, Nelson asked, "When is the right time? How many more times do we want to do this? How many more folks have to die?"
Mourners comfort each other at a candle-lit vigil for the victims of Thursday's shooting. Photo / AP
Nelson and other Democrats said Congress must do more than talk about mental illness. "Let's get to the root cause. Let's get these assault weapons off our streets," he said.
The accused Florida shooter was armed with his own AR-15 rifle, the same type of weapons used in Las Vegas and Texas last year, as well as in earlier shootings at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida and a school in Newtown, Connecticut.
In a rare comment that appeared unscripted, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would speak to Trump and fellow Cabinet members about gun violence.
Testifying on the President's budget, Mnuchin called the school shooting a tragedy and said, "I urge Congress to look at this issue."
Mnuchin's remark seemed at odds with the White House, which has not sought legislation or additional money to curb gun violence.
Other Republicans stuck largely to a now-familiar script.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called for a moment of silence, adding: "To say that such brutal, pointless violence is unconscionable is an understatement."
