‘Lives will be lost’: Trump admin bulldozes gun safety rules while blocking $1 billion in student mental health funding

The Trump administration has made a series of decisions that significantly alter gun policy in the United States, most recently by permitting the sale of devices that enable standard firearms to fire like machine guns. The Justice Department announced last Friday a settlement in a lawsuit brought by the National Association for Gun Rights that challenged an ATF rule banning “forced reset triggers.” These devices allow semiautomatic weapons to fire rapid bursts of bullets at speeds comparable to machine guns.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated that the move “will enhance public safety,” though this claim has been met with skepticism from gun safety advocates. A spokesperson for Giffords, the national gun violence prevention group led by former Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, warned that “The Trump administration has just effectively legalized machine guns. Lives will be lost because of his actions. This is an incredibly dangerous move that will enable shooters to inflict horrific damage.”

Experts note that semiautomatic weapons equipped with forced reset triggers can fire hundreds of rounds per minute with an extended squeeze, making them significantly more lethal. Fully automatic machine guns have been largely banned for U.S. consumers for generations, but these devices effectively circumvent those restrictions by allowing semiautomatic firearms to achieve similar firing rates.

Administration blocks mental health funding while rolling back gun restrictions

In addition to relaxing restrictions on gun modifications, the Trump administration has blocked $1 billion in grants for student mental health programs that were intended to reduce gun violence in schools. The administration determined that these programs were no longer in “the best interest of the federal government,” despite bipartisan support for such initiatives following the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas three years ago.

The administration has also canceled hundreds of grants to community organizations and local governments, including funding for gun violence prevention programs, according to reporting from The Washington Post. Simultaneously, The New York Times has reported that the administration is moving forward with plans to roll back an array of gun control measures while creating a path for people with criminal convictions to regain the right to own firearms.

This approach marks a significant shift from Trump’s first term, when he occasionally expressed support for gun safety measures. After a mass school shooting in February 2018, Trump participated in a televised discussion with lawmakers where he suggested taking firearms away from potentially dangerous individuals before going to court. He stated, “Take the firearms first and then go to court,” and endorsed a model where police officers could confiscate guns “whether they had the right or not.” Later, following another mass shooting, he reportedly sought restrictions on assault rifles.

The president’s stance appears to have hardened in his second term. After a deadly on-campus shooting at Florida State University last month, Trump emphasized his “obligation to protect the Second Amendment” rather than pursuing the gun reforms he had previously considered. Gun safety advocates argue that the administration’s current actions represent a dangerous reversal that prioritizes expanded gun access over measures that could potentially save lives.