Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said Thursday comments President Trump made about seizing a person’s firearms first before affording them due process took his breath away.
“I have to admit that the idea of taking a person’s property away before the due process, that did take my breath away a little bit,” Toomey told MSNBC. “It doesn’t work that way in America.”
Trump made the remarks Wednesday during a bipartisan meeting of lawmakers on school safety, during which they discussed gun violence restraining orders, among other issues related to gun violence.
With a gun violence restraining order, law enforcement or family members can ask a court to prohibit a person from buying or possessing a firearm or ammunition. The court can also order the person to turn over their firearms.
The topic was raised by Vice President Mike Pence, who said gun violence restraining orders “give families and give law enforcement additional tools if an individual is reported to be a potential danger to themselves or others.”
“Allow due process, so that no one’s rights are trampled,” Pence said.
Trump, though, said the course should be to “take the firearms first and then go to court,” since he said the court process can be lengthy.
“I like taking the guns early, like in this crazy man’s case that just took place in Florida. He had a lot of firearms. They saw everything,” the president said. “To go to court would have taken a long time. So you could do exactly what you’re saying, but take the guys first, go through due process second.”
Trump’s comments have drawn criticisms from lawmakers, including Republicans like Toomey.
“There’s an old saying about this president, which is take him seriously, but not literally,” the Pennsylvania senator said. “And I think the big takeaway from this meeting is he wants to get something done. Broadening background checks would be the centerpiece of it, and we ought to consider a whole range of other items. I agree with that.”
Toomey was one of the lawmakers in the meeting with Trump. Congress has again been confronted with calls to pass gun control measures following the Feb. 14 shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla.
