President Trump's Surprising Proposal

I ended last week�s blog by writing, �We shall see.� This week I can confidently say that we saw. I am referencing my concerns that President Trump would not follow through on his proposal to ban bump stocks and look into further gun reforms. The President has kept his promise and has gone even further to promote his approval of certain gun reforms.

President Trump meeting with members of Congress on Wednesday.

There was an extraordinary meeting today at the White House between the President and members of Congress where Trump stated his support for a series of policies that the NRA and many Republicans strongly oppose. These policies include: raising the minimum age at which a person can buy a gun from 18 to 21, universal background checks, keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, and he even shot down a bill heavily prioritized by the NRA that would allow for a person with a concealed-carry license to have that license be recognized in every state. He even asked Republican Senator Pat Toomey, �You�re afraid of the NRA, right?� after Toomey told the president that his bill did not include a provision that would change the minimum age to buy a gun.

He also stated, �It�s time that a President step up.�

Of all the people I expected to take a stand on gun control, I never thought it would be President Trump. This is like the scene in Return of the Jedi when Darth Vader turned on the Emperor and threw him into the pit, to his death. He had been fighting Luke (the Democrats in this metaphor) for an entire trilogy until he saw the Emperor poised to strike Luke down. He had an epiphany and saved the day as an unsuspecting hero.

Is Donald Trump not Darth Vader? Think about it. Trump used to be a registered Democrat and in 1999 he told NBC that he was pro-choice. He was your average billionaire TV personality engulfed in the Hollywood lifestyle until history turned on a dime in 2011. At the White House Correspondents Dinner that year, Seth Meyers delivered a joke that chastised the Trump. Meyers cackled, unaware of the magnanimous repercussions that his words would create, �Donald Trump has been saying that he'll run for president as a Republican, which is surprising, since I just assumed he was running as a joke.�

In that moment, as the crowd collectively mocked him, something sparked inside of him and he walked away from that dinner ready to prove everybody in that room that they were wrong. He was determined to get the last laugh. He felt betrayed by his friends and became engulfed by the dark side of the force. He was going to make them pay. Was it childish? Quite. Is that surprising? No.

The alt-right took him in and helped him overthrow the Federation (the RNC that was strongly against Trump and tried to prevent his presidential nomination). Now, seven years later, the President realized the enormous issue that mass shootings pose and came to the conclusion that he is the only person that can make a difference and get comprehensive gun legislation enacted.

As a person who supports gun reform, I was really impressed by the President�s statements today. That being said, the President cannot issue an executive order that would make all of his proposals law. It would be blocked immediately. So, we must rely on Congress to get these reforms passed. It is good to see the President back gun control because he has a major influence on the Congressional agenda, but it will not be enough to get sweeping gun legislation through the House and Senate. It falls on the people to sway lawmakers and force them to take action.

This is where I need your help. On March 24^th, the people will be attempting to sway lawmakers and demand change to current gun laws nationwide. These attempts will take the form of an event known as the March For Our Lives. I am helping organize one of those marches here in Charleston. We will be taking the streets to demand a ban on bump stocks, major reforms to the background check system, raising the minimum age at which a person can purchase a gun, and protest the proposal to arm teachers. We created a GoFundMe to help cover the costs for police, EMS, advertising and a speaker system. You can donate to that GoFundMe here. Any money left over from that GoFundMe will be donated to the victims of the Parkland shooting. If you are planning to attend the march, make sure to sign up here so we can get an idea of how many people will be joining us on the 24^th.

Thanks for your support. That�s all for this week.