In his quest to undo everything his predecessor accomplished, President Donald Trump has quietly been able to deliver wins for the NRA and gun control opponents. The Trump administration has rolled back key gun regulation that have broadened the number of people who can purchase a gun.
One signature move by Trump was signing a bill that nixed an Obama-era regulation that required the Social Security Administration to disclose information quarterly to the national gun background check system about people with certain mental illnesses. Trump has also narrowed the definition of "fugitive" in that background check system, which has cut the number of people who are barred from buying a firearm, McClatchy's Anita Kumar reported.
“Ultimately you judge a politician on whether he or she keeps their promises that they made during the campaign,” Chris Cox, chief lobbyist and principal political strategist for NRA’s lobbying arm, told McClatchy. “NRA members and supporters across this country are very pleased with what we’ve seen out of this administration so far. But there is still a lot of work to do.”
Trump, inspired by White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, has a strong desire to weaken the administrative state, even if that means eliminating common-sense gun control regulation that is designed to protect lawful citizens. The NRA was an adamant backer of Trump during the campaign, committing money and TV ads to help bolster his presidential bid. But the way many White House officials speak, it seems as if wholesale deregulation has been the ultimate goal of this administration, and gun regulations are just one of the many targets.
Marc Short, director of legislative affairs for the White House, said that Trump inherited "the biggest regulatory burden, we believe, of any president in American history."
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