Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Donald Trump Is Getting Dragged for Seeming to Admit That the NRA Runs White House Gun Policy

Donald Trump Is Getting Dragged for Seeming to Admit That the NRA Runs White House Gun Policy
DALLAS, TX - MAY 04: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum during the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on May 4, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. The National Rifle Association's annual meeting and exhibit runs through Sunday. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

It's clear who calls the shots.

President Donald Trump is again alarming citizens and lawmakers alike with one of his latest tweets. This time, the president tweeted that he's consulted the NRA about blocking the distributions of blueprints for 3-D printed guns.

This is especially notable because the Trump administration recently undid government restrictions on distributing the blueprints online. Though the federal government had been fighting to maintain the ban in court, it changed its tune and reached a settlement allowing the plaintiff to post plans for 3-D printed guns. Despite his own administration being instrumental in allowing the sale of the plans, Trump seemed to question the sale, assuring that he'd already consulted the National Rifle Association.


The 3-D printing of guns poses a widespread threat to the public because anyone with access to a 3-D printer can distribute guns with no regulation. The guns also don't have serial numbers, making them virtually impossible to trace. Because the metal firing ring is the only part that isn't plastic, they're easy to slip through a metal detector as well.

The plaintiff with whom the Trump administration settled the case allowing the sale of the prints was Cody Wilson, who's posted demonstrations of the 3-D printed guns manufactured by his company, Defense Distributed.

Lawmakers and gun safety organizations were aghast that Trump seemed unaware his administration helped allow Defense Distributed to sell plans for 3-D printed guns, and by the fact that Trump was consulting a virulently pro-gun organization on how to proceed with the policy.

Celebrities and concerned citizens weighed in as well, without mincing words.

While many are shocked that such a reckless policy could ever gain so much ground, virtually no one is surprised that Trump is consulting the NRA. There's a good reason for that.

In 2016, the National Rifle Association spent over 30 million dollars on Trump's election alone. That's more than the organization spent on all races (not just presidential) in 2008 and 2012 combined.

As a result, Trump's deference to the National Rifle Association has been one of the president's few consistencies, often disguising his devotion to the organization as a passion for the Second Amendment, with statements like the one he made last year, when he was the first sitting president to address the NRA at the National Rifle Association Leadership Conference:

But we have news that you’ve been waiting for for a long time:  The eight-year assault on your Second Amendment freedoms has come to a crashing end.  You have a true friend and champion in the White House.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump also encouraged gun violence against his opponent Hillary Clinton:

If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know.

Trump has ceaselessly made his devotion to the NRA apparent, but many still find it shocking that he's willing to support a policy that could easily undermine every gun safety law in place and exacerbate the already stratospheric amount of mass shootings occurring in the United States.

More from People/donald-trump

Kid Rock
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kid Rock Dragged After Donning A Truly Over-The-Top Outfit For His White House Visit

Singer Kid Rock was slammed for wearing a loud patriotic costume inside the Oval Office as Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday against ticket scalping.

The rocker's outfit consisted of a red, white, and blue jacket emblazoned with two eagles facing each other above the American flag with the number 250, a nod to America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and white stars on his sleeves.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Cassidy
CNBC

MAGA Senator Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud With Epic Freudian Slip About Medicare

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was widely mocked following his inconvenient slip of the tongue during a CNBC interview as he mused about finding ways to "cut" Medicare before quickly correcting himself.

The exchange occurred after host Rebecca Quick pressed Louisiana Republican and former physician Bill Cassidy on how his party intended to fund the “trillion-dollar tax cuts” sought by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tim Sheehy
CNN

GOP Senator Gets Blunt Reality Check After Comparing Trump Tariff 'Pain' To Home Renovation

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.

Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Crawford; Elon Musk
Scott Olson/Getty Images (left and right)

Liberal Wisconsin Judge Calls Out Elon Musk In Victory Speech—And It's Everything

Liberal judge Susan Crawford called out billionaire Elon Musk in her victory speech after winning a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, basking in successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court’s narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Musk fueled the high-stakes race, having poured more than $20 million into supporting Schimel, according to state campaign records. That includes $3 million to the state Republican Party—$2 million of which was donated just last week. Due to state election laws, large contributions must be funneled through political parties before reaching candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Worst 'Bonus' They've Ever Gotten At Work

Most of us have worked at one problematic workplace, with reasons ranging from toxic coworkers to terrible bosses to unlivable pay. Sometimes, it feels like a joke that the employees are even being paid at all!

But the biggest joke of all might be the end-of-year bonus, or lack thereof. They're at times so laughable, they take the cake for horrible work conditions, or are quite literally, a slice of cake.

Keep ReadingShow less