U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday called on lawmakers to pass legislation requiring strong background checks for firearm purchases following two mass shooting in Texas and Ohio over the weekend that killed 29 people.

Trump, who is scheduled to deliver remarks at the White House later on Monday morning following the attacks, said the victims’ deaths could not be “in vain” and called on both political parties to take steps to require further screenings for gun buyers.

Ahead of his planned remarks Monday in the wake of this past weekend's shootings, President Donald Trump has proposed "strong background checks," perhaps, he said, tied to immigration reform.

In tweets Monday morning, the president said, "We cannot let those killed in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, die in vain."

At the same time, Trump also blamed the news media for "the anger and rage that has built up over many years."

The number of federal gun background checks fell 12 percent in February to their lowest level for the month in four years, surprising industry analysts who said the numbers indicate the market hasn’t completely shaken its “Trump slump.”

The FBI ran slightly more than 2 million checks through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) last month, compared to more than 2.3 million in February 2018.

A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation on Thursday that would improve background checks for gun buyers — a milestone, albeit a narrow one, in the divisive national debate over gun control.

A bipartisan group of Senators has produced a bill meant to address failings in the nation’s system for gun background checks.

On a Sunday afternoon nearly four years ago, Elvin Daniel was in his garden when he got a call from police: His sister, Zina Haughton, had been shot at work.

Here's one topic Americans can bank on hearing about in next week's State of the Union address: gun control. The reaction to President Obama's announced gun-control measures this week was swift and entirely as expected. Gun-control advocates and many Democrats applauded his efforts; gun-rights groups and many Republicans loudly denounced the orders as executive overreach.

State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau said Friday that the State Department stands behind the visa process that allowed a terrorist into the United States. “Are you satisfied that Malik’s application process followed the proper protocol?” one reporter asked Trudeau, referring to San Bernardino shooter Tashfeen Malik, who had previously pledged allegiance to the Islamic State on Facebook. “Yes,” she said.

Background checks on gun purchasers find only a tiny fraction with enough of a mental illness record to deny the sale.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) expressed optimism Sunday that a measure to expand background checks on gun purchases could win support from most senators.
“There [are] some senators, bipartisan again, Sen. [Tom] Coburn (R-Okla.) and Sen. [Joe] Manchin (D-W.Va.) and some others who are working on package that I think that most of us will be able to support, McCain said on NBC News “Meet The Press.