Donald Trump warned Monday that President Obama’s impending executive action to tighten gun control laws could turn the country itself into a gun-free zone.
“Pretty soon you won’t be able to get guns,” the leading Republican presidential hopeful told CNN. “I mean, it’s another step in the way of not getting guns.”
Obama is slated to meet with Attorney General Loretta Lynch Monday to discuss the actions he plans to take to expand gun control legislation, and will participate in a town hall Thursday that plans to focus on the hot-button issue. According to recent reports, Obama hopes to implement additional background checks for individuals seeking to purchase firearms and new license requirements for occasional gun dealers.
Trump accused Obama of side-stepping Congress, while promising to undo any executive actions on gun control if he’s elected president.
“It’s supposed to be negotiated,” Trump said. “You’re supposed to cajole, get people in a room. You’re supposed to deal with them. You have Republicans. You have Democrats. You have all these people – they get elected to do this stuff. And you’re supposed to get together and pass a law.”
He continued, “[Obama] doesn’t want to do that because it’s too much work. He doesn’t want to work too hard. He wants to go back and play golf.”
In mid-September, Trump released a Second Amendment position paper that proposed nationalizing concealed carry permits and called for a greater focus on mental healthcare reform as opposed to new gun control legislation.
“Gun and magazine bans are a total failure,” he wrote at the time. “That’s been proven every time it’s been tried.”
