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The package will include legislation that would speed up the death penalty for those convicted of mass killings, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff told reporters.
But it is unlikely that new provisions will reinforce background checks on arms sales after President Donald Trump withdrew his support for such measures following the National Rifle Association outcry and warnings about the consequences. policies.
The issue sparked renewed scrutiny following another shootout this weekend in western Texas, killing seven and injuring nearly two dozen. Trump then told reporters that the latest massacre – one of many deadly episodes this summer – was unlikely to change the calculation in Washington.
"It has not really changed anything, we are making a package," he said. "It's regardless of what happened yesterday in Texas."
White House and Senate employees continue to discuss gun control measures, an administration official said following Saturday's shootings, but no consensus was found areas in which to progress. The official described the talks, which included both Republican and Democratic aides, as fruitful, and told all parties that it was clear that something should be done when Congress returns later this month. .
The White House assistants said Trump had asked them to come up with something that could move both chambers. However, even if all parties seem focused on the need to do something, they remain very far away on the merits, officials said.
Democrats continue to insist that any new action on gun control must include a reinforcement of background checks, a step that has long been opposed by human rights advocacy groups. fire arms. The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed a massive package of background checks in February, but that was not picked up in the Senate and Trump threatened to veto it.
In early August, Trump appeared open to a thorough background check after shooting sessions in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. But after the NRA's pressure and warnings, he could face dire political consequences, he backed down. Trump had already voiced support for expanding the background check, but was yielding under pressure from his political allies.
Nevertheless, Trump and his Republican colleagues seem to recognize that failure to act would also be politically detrimental, as large-scale shootings continue to affect communities across the country.
There are still active opponents to any serious gun reform in the White House, even though the president himself has demanded that solutions be presented to him, according to officials. Some of the key collaborators warned Trump after the last two shots that anything he would do under gun control would not be enough to appease his detractors, and could instead cost him dearly among his supporters.
At the moment, the administration is focusing on the provision relating to the death penalty, which Attorney General William Barr presented during a speech in August.
A law authorizing "the imposition of any death sentence without undue delay" in cases of mass killings, as well as killings of police officers, will be proposed after Labor Day, when legislators return of the break, said Orleans Barr.
"The punishment must be fast and certain," he said.
Sending to reporters as Pence flew to Ireland, the chief of staff, Marc Short, said the Vice President's political team was engaged in discussions on the issue. firearms control and that the Ministry of Justice had developed the measure of the death penalty as part of a set of gun control measures. The White House could propose to Congress.
Other possible measures include so-called "red flag" laws, which aim to prevent people with mental disorders from obtaining firearms. Democrats and Republicans have expressed support for such measures, although Democrats say they do not go far enough.
On Sunday, Trump avoided calling for more stringent gun control measures, including background checks, following Saturday's mass shooting.
"We have a lot of groups working on it," said Trump. "I've talked to a lot of senators, a lot of members of the House … People want to do something."
He downplayed the idea that more thorough background checks could have prevented the long series of recent attacks.
"As hard as you checked your background, they would not have stopped anything," he said.
Aside from a number of Republicans, the growing number of personal background checks has not garnered widespread support from the GOP lawmakers. Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey, who supports improving background checks, told ABC that he was in regular contact with Trump and that he thought the President wanted to do something about it. of "significant".
Senator Rick Scott, R-Florida, told Dana Bash of CNN about "the state of the Union" that he was focusing on the "red flag" laws, which had been passed in his state as a result of a shootout at High School in Parkland.
Scott also said that a ban on assault weapons is a non-seat in this Congress, a point of view shared by Trump.
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