President Trump remains opposed to an assault weapon ban as he considers steps to prevent gun violence in schools, the White House said Thursday.
White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah noted Mr. Trump’s opposition to bans on military-style, semi-automatic rifles when he ran for president in 2016. “That hasn’t changed,” he said.
The shooting attack by a deranged teenager last week at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killed 17 people and rekindled calls for a ban on assault weapons such as the AR-15 that he used.
“What we are looking for are solutions that don’t ban a class of firearms for all individuals but ban all weapons for certain individuals who are identified as threats to public safety,” Mr. Shah said.
The White House previously said that nothing was off the table to address school shootings.
The president has floated ideas for several measures, such as raising the age to buy rifles from 18 to 21 and expanding background checks better screen for mental illness.
A federal assault weapon ban enacted in 1994 expired in 2004.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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