Dec 9, 2017

4. Trump unlikely to bend on gun control

President Donald Trump tries on a Stetson hat during a "Made in America," product showcase. Photo: Alex Brandon / AP

President Trump, who says he's a defender of gun ownership rights, faced mounting pressure to address gun control issues after the recent mass shootings Las Vegas and Texas. And many were unsure how he'd resist it — especially after showing he is open to bipartisanship by striking a debt limit deal with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.

But Trump's allies, both inside and out of the White House, have said they can't imagine Trump bending to a Chuck-and-Nancy deal on gun control. Former Trump adviser Roger Stone told Axios' Jonathan Swan: "Base would go insane and he knows it." And Steve Bannon went so far as to say such a deal is "Impossible: will be the end of everything." Here's why:

  • He owes too much to the NRA and its supporters
  • He feels closer to the NRA than just about any outside group.
  • He believes his un-nuanced support for the Second Amendment was crucial to his election victory.
  • He's been instinctively allergic to Democrats who argue for gun control in the immediate aftermath of mass shootings.

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