President Donald Trump will meet with members of the Parkland, Florida community and survivors of other mass shootings at the White House on Wednesday.
- President Donald Trump reportedly told those close to him that he's open to raising the age limit on buying rifles like the AR-15 from 18 to 21.
- The AR-15 has been used in the deadliest shootings in recent US history, including the massacre in Parkland, Florida, and handgun sales are already restricted to those over 21.
- Trump has already signaled he's willing to take steps toward gun control, like banning bump stocks, and he could potentially get a lot done.
President Donald Trump's meetings with victims of the Florida school shooting appear to have made an impact on him, as he reportedly tells those close to him that high school kids shouldn't be able to buy guns.
Trump told those close to him that he is open to bumping up the minimum age requirement to buy guns like the AR-15, which has been used in the deadliest shootings in US history, to 21, instead of 18, Axios' Jonathan Swan reports.
In Florida, where the deadliest high school shooting in recent US history took place, minors can buy rifles with their parents' consent, and there is no lower age limit for possessing guns.
Federal law already requires citizens to reach 21 before purchasing a handgun, which is thought to be a higher security risk because it's easily concealed, even though rifles like the AR-15 are more capable in terms of range and ammunition capacity.
Swan's anonymous source says Trump is holding "loose and open-ended" talks about gun legislation. Trump is hosting a listening session with high school students and teachers from Parkland at the White House on Wednesday.
Throughout his presidency, Trump has proven responsive to media coverage, and the survivors of the Florida school shooting have become a sustained and vocal presence calling for gun control in the wake of the tragedy.
Trump has already proven flexible on the issue of gun control, yesterday ordering the Justice Department to hasten its proposed regulations on the sale of "bump stocks" or devices that attach to the back of a rifle and allow it to function as an automatic weapon.
As a Republican president whose party controls all three branches of government, and someone who has proven insulated from Republican criticism, Trump may be in a position to get something major done on gun control.