White House Releases Official Statement on ‘March for Our Lives’

White House: ‘We applaud’ March for Our Lives attendees for ‘exercising their First Amendment rights’

The White House praised the hundreds of thousands of Americans participating in March for Our Lives across the U.S. on Saturday to call for gun control reforms.

In a brief statement, White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Waters also reiterated the Trump administration’s support for some reforms.

“We applaud the many courageous young Americans exercising their First Amendment rights today,” Walters said. “Keeping our children safe is a top priority of the President’s, which is why he urged Congress to pass the Fix NICS and STOP School Violence Acts, and signed them into law,” Walters added.

“Obama Administration legalized bump stocks. BAD IDEA,” Trump tweeted Friday. “As I promised, today the Department of Justice will issue the rule banning BUMP STOCKS with a mandated comment period. We will BAN all devices that turn legal weapons into illegal machine guns.”

Obama Administration legalized bump stocks. BAD IDEA. As I promised, today the Department of Justice will issue the rule banning BUMP STOCKS with a mandated comment period. We will BAN all devices that turn legal weapons into illegal machine guns.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2018

Former President Barack Obama’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives had argued “bump stocks” could not be regulated by the government.