President Donald Trump on Wednesday voiced his support for allowing law enforcement officers to seize guns from people they think pose an immediate public threat or are dangerously mentally ill.
“Number one, you can take the guns away immediately from people that you can adjudge easily are mentally ill, like this guy,” he told a bipartisan group of legislators durning a televised meeting.
The President was referring to Nikolas Cruz, who allegedly murdered 17 people during a Valentine’s Day mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Vice President Mike Pence said later that “the focus is to literally give families and give local law enforcement additional tools if an individual is reported to be a potential danger to themselves or others.”
“Allow due process so no one’s rights are trampled but the ability to go to court, obtain an order and then collect not only the firearms but any weapons in the possession—”
Trump cut him off: “Or, Mike, take the firearms first and then go to court, because that’s another system.”
“Because a lot of times by the time you go to court, it takes so long to go to court, to get the due process procedures, I like taking the guns early, like in this crazy man’s case that just took place in Florida,” he continued. “He had a lot of firearms. They saw everything. To go to court would have taken a long time. So you could do exactly what you’re saying but take the guns first, go through due process second.”
