Trump Brings Up Mental Health, Not Gun Control At NH Rally

By Cam Edwards

Is the president backing away from his recent calls for gun control? At a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire Thursday evening, President Trump’s focus was on treating mental illness, not passing gun control laws in the wake of active assailant attacks in Texas and Ohio. There was no mention of expanding background checks or even “red flag” laws at the rally. Instead, the president spoke of re-opening institutions and helping individuals with mental health problems.

“There is a mental illness problem that has to be dealt with. It’s not the gun that pulls the trigger — it’s the person holding the gun,” Trump said to roars and a standing ovation from the Manchester, N.H., crowd.

Trump used a similar line immediately after the dual shootings earlier this month at a Walmart in Texas and outside a bar in Ohio, saying that “mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun.” In the weeks since, the president has urged Congress to strengthen background checks, despite opposition from the National Rifle Association. He backed red flag laws, which would permit law enforcement officers to temporarily take weapons away from people determined to be a danger to themselves or others.

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Source:: Bearing Arms