White House "not aware" of measures that can prevent mass shootings
On the 5th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Massacre, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that she's "not aware" of any measures that would have helped prevent the mass shooting and others like it when asked by CBS News White House and senior foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan.
"Whether or not there's a regulation that could be put in place or not that could have prevented those things, frankly I'm not aware of what that would be," she said, citing both Sandy Hook and the Las Vegas concert shooting that killed 59 people and wounded over 500. "But we want to look for every opportunity, every way possible that we can to protect American lives and we're going to continue doing that."
Brennan pointed out to Sanders that the White House prescribed an instant policy fix for the failed New York City suicide bombing attempt Monday, but has so far failed to offer a concrete solution for mass shootings where the perpetrator is native-born, as in the cases of Sandy Hook and the Las Vegas mass shootings.
Sanders said that there are "a number of different ways that we look to protect our citizens," citing border security options and stronger vetting processes, but could not point out a non-immigration-based Trump administration policy to fight against domestic shooters.
"If you could name a single thing that would have prevented both of these, I'd love to hear it because I don't know what that would look like," she said.
Sanders reemphasized President Trump's push for the end of chain migration and the diversity lottery visa system. She also added that there's been a focus on the role of mental health treatment in preventing mass shootings, but again said that she's "not aware" of any gun control policy that could help stop the violent occurrences.
"In terms of a specific policy we're moving forward with that would have prevented that, I'm not aware of what that would be yet," she said.
