White House refuses to release photo of Trump gun law repeal – By BBC Newsroom (bbc.com) / Feb 16 2018
The White House released a photo of a different bill signing from the same day relating to environmental regulations
The White House has refused to release a photo of President
Donald Trump signing a law making it easier for some people with mental illness to buy guns.
Despite repeated requests from CBS News, the White House press office has issued only a one-line response.
Mr Trump last year repealed an Obama-era rule allowing the names of certain people on mental health benefits to be entered into a criminal database.
The controversy follows a shooting by a suspect who had mental health issues.
Nikolas Cruz is accused of using a legally-purchased rifle to kill 17 people at his former high school in Parkland, Florida, on Wednesday.
In a tweet, Mr Trump called the gunman “mentally disturbed” and vowed to “tackle the difficult issue of mental health” during a speech to the nation.
But the Republican president’s critics noted his own annual budget proposed this week would cuts hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for mental health programmes.
So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2018
Why won’t White House release photo?
CBS News says it requested a copy of the image – which White House photographers confirm exists – 12 separate times by phone or email.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders has only said in a note dated 19 April 2017: “We don’t plan to release the picture at this time.”
CBS News asked the White House again on Thursday to release the photo, but has not received a response.
Legislation is often signed into law with much fanfare at the White House, including photo-ops, press conferences and even gifts to selected participants.
Mr Trump has boasted of having signed into law “more legislation than anybody” – a claim fact checkers say they have debunked.
What was the law Trump signed?
HJ Resolution 40 was signed by President Trump on 28 February last year, days after his inauguration.
It repealed an Obama-era rule that would have affected about 75,000 US citizens who are too mentally ill to handle their own disability benefits.
The Obama measure covered those of “marked subnormal intelligence, or mental illness, incompetency, condition, or disease”.
It also ordered the US Social Security Administration, which administers benefits, to add these names to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
That database is used by the FBI to determine who is able to purchase a firearm.
The National Rifle Association, an influential gun lobby, was not the only opponent of the Obama-era gun control measure.
The ACLU, a prominent civil-rights organisation, and mental health advocacy organisations backed the repeal that was signed by Mr Trump.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43088644
PB/TK – So you wanna do something to help the mentally ill yet cut federal funding. Let me guess, if we “privatize” the issue, it’ll work better? Bring on the electric shock treatments
