Trump signs order loosening gun restrictions
President Donald Trump holds up H.R. 225 after signing it in the Oval Office of the White House, in D.C. Photo by Joshua Roberts/Reuters
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has signed a resolution blocking an Obama-era rule that would have prevented an estimated 75,000 people with mental disorders from buying guns.
The rule was part of former President Barack Obama’s push to strengthen the federal background check system in the wake of the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut shooting.
It required the Social Security Administration to send in the names of beneficiaries with mental impairments who also need a third-party to manage their benefits.
But lawmakers, the National Rifle Association and even the American Civil Liberties Union criticized the rule, saying it unfairly stigmatized the disabled and infringed on their constitutional right to bear arms.
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