'Stop this nonsense': Trump backs tougher gun laws

'Stop this nonsense': Trump backs tougher gun laws
Copyright REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Copyright REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
By Euronews
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Despite pressure from gun lobbyists, President Trump has declared that he wants to tighten background checks and increase the age limit for gun buyers in the United States.

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Something must be done: Donald Trump has called on US lawmakers to "go big" on legislation to prevent more school shootings.

Despite pressure from the National Rifle Association (NRA), he supports stricter background checks AND raising the legal age to buy rifles from 18 to 21.

He said: "I'm the biggest fan of the Second Amendment. Many of you are. I'm a big fan of the NRA. I had lunch with them ....and said, 'It's time. We've got to stop this nonsense. It's time.'"

The comments came the same day classes resumed at the Florida high school where 17 people were killed two weeks ago - in one of the country's deadliest mass shootings.

"It was good to be back with everyone. I'm glad that it, like, brought us together. instead of dragging us apart," said Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Destiny Briceno.

Another pupil, Kai Koerber, added: "we were just trying to re-instill the sense of normalcy that we all, you know, had before this. Because at the end of the day, you know, life has to go on."

But emotions were still raw.

Fellow student Samuel Safaite said: "My teacher was taking attendance and she accidentally said Luke's name while she was doing roll, and, like, a lot of people just started crying, because we all knew that he was gone."

Two major US retailers have already announced restrictions on gun sales. Dick's Sporting Goods will no longer sell assault-style rifles, while Walmart is raising the minimum age for buying guns to 21.

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