Up Close: Sen. Chuck Schumer doubts President Trump on guns
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer spoke out after President Donald Trump expressed hope that the Senate will consider expanding background checks on all gun purchases -- one week after two shootings left 31 people dead in El Paso and Dayton.
"Frankly we need intelligent background checks, this isn't a question of NRA, Republican or Democrat," the president said as he left Washington on Friday morning.
But in a taping of Eyewitness News Up Close on Friday, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer doubted Trump's sincerity.
"They say let's talk and talk and talk and nothing gets done," Schumer said.
Before flying to the Hamptons for a fundraiser, Trump stopped as he was leaving the White House for a wide-ranging session with reporters.
"We don't want insane people, mentally-ill people, bad people, dangerous people, we don't want them, guns in the hands of the wrong people," Trump said.
Schumer said the president called him Thursday.
"There's one answer. Put the House-passed background check, universal background check, closing all the loopholes, put that bill on the floor of the Senate," Schumer said of what he told Trump.
Trump said he talked with the NRA and seemed to imply the NRA and Republican leaders support expanded background checks.
Schumer called that surprising.
NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre said Thursday the NRA "opposed any legislation that unfairly infringes upon the rights of law-abiding citizens."
Joining us to discuss the issue are political analyst Hank Sheinkopf and ABC News Political Director Rick Klein.
Also on Up Close this week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York sits down with Eyewitness News political reporter Dave Evans.
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