Trump proposes mental asylums, but silent on gun laws

MANCHESTER: More mental hospitals are needed to take potential mass killers off the streets, President Donald Trump said in response to recent mass shootings, while staying quiet on a pledge to toughen gun laws.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters estimated at around 12,000 in Manchester, New Hampshire, Trump did not once mention his efforts to push for background checks on would-be gun purchasers.

Instead, he focused on the theory that the endless spate of mass killings carried out by men with easily obtained semi-automatic rifles is mostly down to lack of mental facilities. Trump said he was giving “major consideration to building new facilities for those in need” and “taking mentally deranged and dangerous people off the streets.”

“We don’t have those institutions anymore,” he said.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Sabah revenue hits RM6.97 billion: Hajiji says GRS State Government may see full term

Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government continued its momentum in managing the economy in line with the commitment and spirit of the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) when it posted record high state revenue of RM6.973 billion last year.

Trump has consistently put an accent on mental health problems, rather than the ubiquitous firearms sold everywhere from shopping malls to gun fairs.

But after the deaths of 31 people in massacres in Texas and Ohio, within hours of each other earlier this month, Trump did come out strongly for increased background checks to verify the records of the person buying a gun.

Even this measure is vehemently opposed by hardline gun rights defenders who say the constitutionally protected right to owning weapons is under threat.

On Thursday, Trump did not once mention his attempts to get his Republican party to come on board for more checks.

Instead, he told the cheering crowd “we can’t make it harder for...law abiding citizens to protect themselves.”

Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.

Daily Express Malaysia

He also stated his loyalty to the constitutional guarantee and “the right to keep and bear arms.”

Jeffrey Swanson, a professor in psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine, earlier told AFP the overwhelming majority of the 10 million Americans with serious mental illnesses do not engage in violent behavior, and most mass shooters do not have “serious identifiable mental illnesses” such as schizophrenia. – AFP

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

Try 1 month for RM 18.00