Trump: Texas Shooting May Have Been Deadlier With Stricter Gun Laws

US President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-In at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on November 7, 2017.The US and its allies are "making a lot of progress" in dealing with the threat posed by nuclear-armed North Korea, US President Donald Trump said on November 7, while visiting Seoul. / AFP PHOTO / AFP PHOTO AND POOL / JUNG Yeon-Je /// 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
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-In at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. (Jung Yeon-Je/Pool Photo via AP)
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President Donald Trump argued Tuesday morning that tougher restrictions on buying guns could have actually made the Sunday shooting in Texas deadlier, given that a bystander with a gun helped stop the shooter.

During a press conference in South Korea, Trump was asked if he would support increased “vetting” for those looking to purchase a gun in the wake of the Texas shooting that left 26 people dead, including several children. The President suggested it may not be an “appropriate question” given that he is in South Korea but responded anyway.

“If you did what you are suggesting it would have made no difference three days ago. And you might not have had that very brave person who happened to have a gun or a rifle in his truck go out and shoot him and hit him and neutralize him,” Trump said. “And I can only say this, if he didn’t have a gun, instead of having 26 dead, you would have had hundreds more dead. So that’s the way I feel about it.”

The gunman, Devin Patrick Kelley, on Sunday opened fire in a Texas church, killing 26 and wounding about 20 others. After leaving the church, Kelley was confronted by a nearby resident with a gun, police said. He was found dead with three gunshot wounds, including at least one self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

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