Gun Safety Groups Demand Disclosure of Role NRA Played in Influencing Trump Administration Gun Policy, Response to Las Vegas Tragedy
October 10, 2017 – Following the deadliest shooting in modern American history, the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the partner organization of Americans for Responsible Solutions, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, filed open records requests with multiple federal agencies to uncover the gun lobby’s roleininfluencing and shaping the TrumpAdministration’s dangerous record on gunsafety.
The records requests, which were sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in the wake of the LasVegastragedy, seek to uncover communications between TrumpAdministrationofficials and the NRA on a range of issues, including:
- Development of White House talking points in the wake of the LasVegastragedy.
- Plans to suggest a “review” of bump stock regulations to take heat off the TrumpAdministration’s dangerous gunsafety record and gain leverage for passing Concealed Carry Reciprocity legislation.
- TrumpAdministrationpolicy actions taken to benefit the gun lobby in the lead up toLasVegas, including easing regulations on the use of lead bullets, lifting a military gear ban for local police, and reducing reporting requirements when multiple rifles are sold to a sole buyer.
“Since Day One, the TrumpAdministration has effectively outsourced federal gunsafetypolicyto the Washington gun lobby. The American people deserve to know the truth behind who is crafting and influencing the policy proposals that impact the safetyof our communities,” said Robyn Thomas, executive director of the Law Center toPrevent Gun Violence. “If the Administration refuses to disclose records, we will see them in court.”
Reports have already detailed the pattern of close coordination between the Washington gun lobby and the TrumpAdministration. In February 2017, a leaked ATF white paper, dated Inauguration Day, urged a series of proposals drawn straight from the NRA’s agenda. When President Trump nominated Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch in January 2017, the NRA and administration walked in lockstep during the confirmation process. And following the LasVegastragedy last week, the White House parroted NRA talking points and refused to address calls for gunsafety reforms.
“President Trump has let industry lobbyists gut worker protections and drug company lobbyists rip off American taxpayers, but allowing the NRAto threaten the safetyofAmerican children is a new low,” said Democracy Forward Policy and Strategy Director Corey Ciorciari. “The White House should not be treated as a playground for lobbyists and special interests—it’s time the TrumpAdministration act like it.”
The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence is being represented on a pro-bono basis by Democracy Forward.