Donald Trump's gun stance has pundits baffled

Donald Trump

In his quest to tackle gun violence, President Donald Trump has ricocheted between calling for tougher laws and declaring his fealty to the Second Amendment's right to bear arms, leaving a trail of befuddled lawmakers and advocates in his wake.

One thing he still has not done: clearly outline his legislative priorities. Washington's week closed yesterday without further explanation from the president, the White House indicating that for now, at least, he is backing an incremental proposal on background checks and a bill that would provide new federal dollars to stem school violence.

Just what Trump would like to see in the "beautiful" and "comprehensive" bill he called for earlier in the week remained unclear. That comment came at a bipartisan meeting with lawmakers Wednesday, which was quickly followed by a private session with the National Rifle Association on Thursday.

Amid the confusion, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has shelved the gun debate for now, saying the Senate will turn next week to other measures. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said yesterday that Trump supports a limited proposal from Sen John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Murphy that would boost participation in the existing federal background check programme, as well as a bill that would provide new federal grant funding to stem school violence.