President Trump said Thursday a shooting at Florida State University that killed two people was “terrible” and a “shame,” but suggested he’s unlikely to back any new gun control measures — saying he’s a “big advocate of the Second Amendment.”
Asked by reporters if he planned on looking at stricter gun laws in the wake of the shooting, Mr. Trump said, “These things are terrible. But the gun doesn’t do the shooting, the people do.”
“As far as legislation is concerned, this has been going on for a long time,” Mr. Trump added. “I have an obligation to protect the Second Amendment. I ran on the Second Amendment, among many other things, and I will always protect the Second Amendment.”
The president, whose primary residence is Palm Beach, Florida, also said he knows Florida State University and the area “very well.”
Police say two people were killed and six were injured on the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee. The alleged gunman — identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner — was taken into custody after being shot by police, according to law enforcement.
Mr. Trump has generally opposed new gun control measures. He signed an executive order in early February ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to look into rolling back several Biden-era gun regulations, including stricter rules for firearms dealers. Mr. Trump did restrict “bump stocks” — devices that allow guns to fire faster — in his first term, following a deadly Las Vegas shooting mass shooting, though the Supreme Court struck down the rule last year.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives currently doesn’t have a permanent director. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll serves as the agency’s acting leader, taking over last week from FBI Director Kash Patel, who ran ATF and the FBI simultaneously.
