President Donald Trump is expected to address the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Dallas this week, just two months after he told governors at the White House they should not fear the pro-gun group following a mass shooting at a high school in Florida where Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people in one of the country’s deadliest shootings in the nation.
CNN reported the news, citing two unnamed sources, but a White House spokesperson declined to comment on the president's plans saying only they were "finalizing the exact details."
The NRA endorsed Trump in the 2016 presidential election, including spending $30 million to back his bid, and has pushed back against calls tightening U.S. gun laws.
But Trump in late February told governors to not worry about the NRA.
“They’re on our side,” he said. “Half of you are so afraid of the NRA. There’s nothing to be afraid of. And you know what, if they’re not with you, we have to fight them every once in a while. That’s OK. They’re doing what they think is right.”
The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 renewed the national debate on gun reform, and Trump soon after signaled his support for raising the age for purchasing semiautomatic rifles and banning bump stocks. The president has also called for improvements in the background check system.
But Trump also called the NRA officials "great patriots" and promised that "there's no bigger fan of the 2nd Amendment than me and there's no bigger fan of the NRA."
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