The RNC's Kayleigh McEnany on Parkland: The GOP Can Make Change
The deadly attack on a Parkland, Fla., high school last week mobilized not only students to demand action on gun control, but also may have spurred action in Washington.
On Tuesday, President Trump asked the Department of Justice for regulations that would ban so-called “bump stocks.” It’s a move that Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany says shows the issue doesn’t have to be a partisan one.
“Our party can make change. Just because you’re pro-Second Amendment, just because you are with the NRA or seeing money from the NRA, that doesn’t mean you don’t want to do everything possible to avert tragedies like this,” she told Cheddar. “That’s why you’re seeing Republican lawmakers talk about background check systems and Republican lawmakers also talking about bump stocks. These are things that are compatible with the Second Amendment.”
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day, an attack that left 17 dead and more than a dozen injured.
In the wake of the attack, several students have emerged as advocates for gun control, organizing marches to local and federal government offices and addressing what they saw as President Trump’s inadequate response to the events.
Over the weekend, Trump expressed support for a bipartisan bill introduced by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) to fix the background check system. That legislation was prompted by a shooting at a Sutherland Springs, Tex., church in November. The “bump stock” bill meanwhile, also bipartisan, came after the Las Vegas attack in October, in which a shooter used the devices to make a semi-automatic rifle act like a machine gun.
McEnany, who’s from the state of Florida, says that gun control regulations have to be a joint effort between states and the federal government.
“This has to be a multi-pronged approach,” she said. “We also need to look at mental health. We also need to look at the missed warning signs at the FBI, the fact that they were called and proper protocol wasn’t followed.”
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rnc-spokeswoman-kayleigh-mcenany-republicans-are-pro-second-amendment-anti-tragedy).
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The recent Virginia and New Jersey elections are making one trend line pretty clear: voters in this climate will vote on education, and it could be a winning tactic for Republicans.
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North Korea launched its sixth missile test this month, equaling the total number performed in all of 2021. Cheddar News speaks with Bruce Klinger of the Heritage Foundation on why the regime is suddenly ramping up its weapons testing program.
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Dr. Celeste González de Bustamante, professor and director of the Center for Border and Global Journalism at the Univerity of Arizona, and Dr. Jeannine E. Relly, professor and director of Global Initiatives at the Center for Border and Global Journalism at the University of Arizona, join Cheddar News to discuss the recent journalist killings in Mexico.
