Pence at NRA conference promises Trump admin will confront gun violence

Vice President Pence on Friday promised attendees at a National Rifle Association (NRA) conference that the Trump administration will stay focused on confronting gun violence.

“We live in a time where mass shootings have claimed hundreds of lives,” Pence told those gathered at the NRA’s annual Leadership Forum in Dallas.

{mosads}”And I promise you, under President Trump’s leadership we will not rest and we will not relent until we end this evil in our time,” he said.

Pence touted Trump’s support for legislation to strengthen the national background check system for firearm purchases, a modest gun proposal that the NRA did not oppose. The measure was included in a massive government funding bill signed into law in March.

The vice president also argued that the administration is “pursuing new resources” for mental illness treatment that could prevent the ill from turning to violence. 

“With the president’s leadership we’ve joined the NRA to give families and law enforcement the tools they need to stop mass shootings before they happen,” Pence told the pro-gun rights group. “Because we know we can protect public safety and due process at the same time.”

While the vice president emphasized legislative efforts such as the STOP School Violence Act signed by Trump to provide school’s with additional safety measures and training, he doubled down on the need for legal guns in the hands of capable owners.

“The quickest way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” he said, emphasizing Trump’s support for states that allow school faculty to carry weapons while on the job. 

The proposal, heralded by many on the right, drew scrutiny in the wake of the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., in February, where a single armed security guard stationed at the school failed to stop the shooter.

The president mentioned the proposal at a White House “listening session” with parents and community members after the shooting, to minimal support from attendees.