President Donald Trump dismissed a question about gun control while visiting shooting victims in Las Vegas, asserting that it was not the proper time to discuss gun politics.
“We’re not going to talk about that today,” he said shortly on Wednesday after visiting some of the victims in a Las Vegas hospital. “We won’t talk about that.”
Many White House reporters have responded to the worst mass shooting in modern history by repeatedly asking Trump and White House representatives about gun control.
On Tuesday, Trump said, “We’ll be talking about gun laws as time goes on,” but he declined to discuss with reporters what he meant by that statement.
The White House has released talking points on gun control to Republican allies, urging them to avoid any suggestions of more gun laws.
“When it comes to gun control, let’s be clear: new laws won’t stop a madman committed to harming innocent people. They will curtail the freedoms of law-abiding citizens,” one of the talking points read.
Although Trump has a history of support for gun control as a New Yorker, he modified his position when he ran as a Republican for president, promising to be a champion of the Second Amendment.
In Alabama, Trump reminded voters in September that former failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton would have taken away their guns.
“If crooked Hillary got elected, you would not have a Second Amendment, believe me,” he said. “You’d be handing in your rifles.”