New York Post, Tuesday, August 6, 2019nypost.comDOUBLE MASSACRE
By MARK MOOREPresident Trump condemned
hate and “white supremacy”
Monday as he called for bipar-
tisan action to spur nationwide
“red flag” laws in response to
two weekend shootings that
took the lives of 31 people in
Texas and Ohio.
But he failed to mention new
background-check measures or
legislation to ban assault
weapons.
“In one voice, our nation
must condemn racism, bigotry,
and white supremacy. These
sinister ideologies must be de-
feated,” Trump said in his re-
marks, referring to the El Paso
gunman’s racist-filled mani-
festo, which targeted people of
Mexican descent.
“Hate has no place in Amer-
ica. Hatred warps the mind,
ravages the heart, and devours
the soul.”
During the 10-minute speech
from the White House’s Diplo-
matic Reception Room, the
president directed the Justice
Department to work with local
authorities on “red flag” laws
that would identify people who
might be likely to commit
violence.
He noted how the Parkland,
Fla., school shooter in Febru-
ary 2018 exhibited numerous
signs that he would do some-
thing destructive but “nobody
did anything.”
The commander in chief
called the back-to-back shoot-
ings in El Paso and Dayton,
“domestic terrorism” and said
he would ensure the FBI has
whatever it needs to prevent
further attacks.
“We have asked the FBI to
identify all further resources
they need to investigate and
disrupt hate crimes and do-
mestic terrorism,” Trump
said.
But he also cast blame on the
Internet and video games, say-
ing, “We must stop the glorifica-tion of violence in our society.”
The president urged Con-
gress to reform mental-health
laws to ensure that psychologi-
cally disturbed individuals
who may be prone to violence
get treatment, and, if neces-
sary, be involuntarily confined.
He didn’t offer any specifics on
legislation.
“Mental illness and hatred
pulls the trigger, not the gun,”
he said.
“First, we must do a better
job of identifying and acting on
early warning signs. I am di-
recting the Department of Jus-
tice to work in... partnership
with local, state and federal
agencies, as well as social me-
dia companies, to develop
tools that can detect mass
shooters before they strike,”
Trump said.
And he directed the depart-
ment to propose legislation
that would make people who
carry out hate crimes and mass
shootings eligible for the death
penalty.
Missing during his remarks
was a recommendation that
Congress take action on back-
ground checks or linking gun
legislation to immigration re-
form, as he said in tweets ear-
lier Monday morning.Senate Minority Leader
Chuck Schumer and House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi were
quick to criticize.
“It took less than three hours
for the president to back off his
call for stronger background
check legislation,” the two
Democratic leaders said in a
joint statement. “When he
can’t mention guns while talk-
ing about gun violence, it
shows the president remains
prisoner to the gun lobby and
the NRA.”
Trump also failed to mention
restricting access to assault ri-
fles or an outright ban on the
weapons, used in the two
weekend attacks, with which a
gunman can rattle off dozens
of high-powered rounds per
minute.
Instead he harked back to
measures already taken.
“Last year, we enacted the
STOP School Violence and Fix
NICS Acts into law... At my
direction, the Department of
Justice banned bump stocks,”
Trump said.
“If we are able to pass great
legislation after all of these
years, we will ensure that those
who were attacked will not
have died in vain.”
[email protected]THE ‘RED FLAGS’
Calls for mental-health
laws, not gun control
white supremacy’
In the wake of two horrific
mass shootings, President
Trump on Monday offered
welcome words and a few
useful starting points to
address the madness. But
he — and all of Washington —
have a long way to go.
‘
PAGE 20
‘
sive action. Nobody did anything.
Why not?
Second, we must stop the glorifi-
cation of violence in our society.
This includes the gruesome and
grisly video games that are now
commonplace. It is too easy today
for troubled youth to surround
themselves with a culture that cele-
brates violence. We must stop or
substantially reduce this, and it has
to begin immediately. Cultural
change is hard, but each of us can
choose to build a culture that cele-
brates the inherent worth and dig-
nity of every human life. That’s
what we have to do.
Third, we must reform our men-
tal health laws to better identify
mentally disturbed individuals who
may commit acts of violence and
make sure those people not only gettreatment, but, when necessary, in-
voluntary confinement. Mental ill-
ness and hatred pulls the trigger,
not the gun.
Fourth, we must make sure that
those judged to pose a grave risk to
public safety do not have access to
firearms, and that, if they do, those
firearms can be taken through rapid
due process. That is why I have
called for red flag laws, also known
as extreme risk protection orders.
Now is the time to set destructive
partisanship aside — so destructive
— and find the courage to answer
hatred with unity, devotion, and
love. Our future is in our control.
America will rise to the challenge.
We always have and we always will
win. The choice is ours and ours
alone. It is not up to mentally ill
monsters; it is up to us.DRAG’NET: Presi-
dent Trump, with Vice
President Mike Pence
at the White House
on Monday, calls for
methods to identify
potential mass killers
on the Internet before
they strike.EPATHE ‘RED FLAGS’
EDITORIAL