Tightening gun laws isn't the right response to Saturday night's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday.
Why it matters: Blanche's firm position stands in stark contrast to three months ago, when Republican officials suggested restricting gun rights in the wake of a deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis.
- The backlash to that position, especially from within President Trump's base, quickly became a serious political problem for the White House.
Driving the news: Cole Allen, a teacher from southern California, apparently brought multiple firearms with him via train to Washington before opening fire at the gala event.
- Blanche said Allen appears to have legally purchased the weapons over the past couple years.
- Blanche faced pointed questions on multiple Sunday morning talk shows, both about Allen's ownership of the guns, and how he allegedly transported them across state lines without any sort of security check.
What they're saying: "Look, this isn't about, in my mind, changing the law or making the laws more restrictive around possession of firearms," he told CBS's "Face the Nation."
- "I don't think the narrative here is about changing laws or changing — making, making our laws more restrictive."
Blanche also pushed back on the suggestion that train travel without the same kind of security as planes was a loophole that needed closing.
- "I mean, if we're asking the question, that's talking about changing the laws, and I don't think that's something that we should be focused on right now in any way, shape or form," he told CBS.
- He acknowledged, in a Fox News Sunday interview, that it was possible Allen traveled by train so he could transport the guns.
What to watch: Authorities are still serving search warrants and investigating Allen, Blanche said.
- Allen is expected to face charges Monday morning.
