The recent mass shooting at a high school in Florida has stoked fresh debate about the controversial issue of gun control in the United States.
President Trump has added his own cautious support to make changes to background checks for gun buyers.
Park Soyun reports.
The White House says President Trump supports efforts to improve background checks following last week's mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead.
Trump held talks with Republican Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican about a bill he introduced with Senator Chris Murphy last fall to revamp background checks.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said President Trump is open to bipartisan legislation to improve the background checks system, which is supposed to prevent people with severe mental and serious criminal records from purchasing arms.
However,... President Trump has yet to commit to the bill,... with a White House aide saying discussions are ongoing and revisions are being considered.
The proposed legislation was previously introduced by four Republicans and four Democrats in the Senate, and would bring significant changes to the national criminal background system, if revised.
Trump ran for the presidency as a pro-gun candidate and he did not vigorously push the Cornyn-Murphy bill when it was introduced.
Critics argue that the current system has loopholes because it relies on state officials to report any criminal records and mental health issues that should legally prohibit a person from buying a gun.
The Cornyn-Murphy bill is designed to make the system more effective, requiring federal agencies to report background information more accurately and thoroughly.
This bill was not passed by Congress when it was previously introduced last November in the wake of the Las Vegas shooting.
On Monday, teenagers from across the U.S. gathered and lay on the ground outside the White House to symbolize the young people gunned down at the Florida high school.
Several others involved in the protest carried signs,... including one which said "Am I next?"
Park Soyun, Arirang News.