President Trump did not mention guns or any kind of policy pertaining to firearms during his address to the nation Thursday morning, a day after the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook.
“No child, no teacher should ever be in danger in an American school. No parent should ever have to fear for their sons and daughters when they kiss them goodbye in the morning,” Trump said the morning after Nikolas Cruz, 19, allegedly shot and killed at least 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
“To every parent, teacher, and child who is hurting so badly, we are here for you, whatever you need, whatever we can do, to ease your pain,” the president added. “We are all joined together as one American family and your suffering is our burden also.”
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Trump additionally promised to visit Parkland when he travels to the state on Friday.
The only policy references in the address—as vague as they were—pertained to the issue of mental health. The president asserted on Twitter earlier Thursday morning that the shooter was “mentally disturbed,” despite the fact that the individual’s personal-health records are unclear at the moment.
“We are committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools and tackle the difficult issue of mental health,” Trump said Thursday. “Later this month, I will be meeting with the nation’s governors and attorneys general where making our schools and our children safer will be our top priority. It is not enough to simply take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference, we must actually make that difference.”
As to what that substantive action would be, he did not say.
The only action President Trump has taken thus far on mental health and guns was to sign a bill last year rolling back Obama-era regulations that made it more difficult for individuals with documented mental illness to purchase a firearm.
