Washington Post: “White House aides briefed Republican senators on potential legislative options at their private weekly luncheon Tuesday — including expanding the federal background-check system for gun buyers and encouraging states to create systems to temporarily seize guns from individuals judged to be dangerous — but they gave no indication of what Trump himself is willing to sign into law, exasperating some of those present.”

“Speaking to reporters afterward, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) confirmed Trump has yet to weigh in on the subject. Guns were among the topics discussed at a White House meeting between Trump and Republican congressional leaders Tuesday afternoon, but attendees said there were no decisions on how to move forward on the issue.”

“Americans across party and demographic lines overwhelmingly support expanded background checks for gun buyers and allowing law enforcement to temporarily seize weapons from troubled individuals, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, as President Trump and Republicans face fresh pressure to act.”

“Although the poll finds a continued partisan divide on more far-reaching gun-control proposals, public opinion is firmly behind Democrats’ push for action as Congress returns to Washington on Monday. More Americans say they trust congressional Democrats over Trump to handle the nation’s gun laws, 51 percent to 36 percent, with independents siding with Democrats by a 17-point margin — a divide that could have political ramifications for the 2020 presidential and congressional elections.”

Although President Trump assured Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) that he was still considering legislation that could include background checks for gun buyers, White House aides tell the New York Times that they had polling data showing that gun control was politically problematic for the president.

The polling data indicated that the issue does not help the president with his core base of supporters.

“President Trump met with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin at the White House on Thursday to discuss a policy response to mass shootings that have killed dozens of people over the past several weeks,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The 30-minute private meeting, which included several White House staffers, touched on a range of possible gun-related policy issues including background checks, the people said. … another person familiar with the meeting said the president didn’t give Sen. Manchin a clear signal, illustrating the widespread uncertainty on Capitol Hill about what Mr. Trump might support.”

White House officials told the Wall Street Journal that they believe they have made progress on new measures to restrict guns in their conversations with U.S. senators — such as improving background checks, temporarily taking firearms away from dangerous people and boosting mental-health services — “but it remains unclear what a legislative package might include.”

Said one White House official: “We’ll need direction from the president.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stressed that President Trump’s support is the key to a gun reform bill getting a vote on the Senate floor in the wake of recent mass shootings, The Hill reports.

Said McConnell: “I expect to get an answer to that next week. If the president is in favor of a number of things that he has discussed openly and publicly and I know that if we pass it, it will become law, I’ll put it on the floor.”

He added: “I said several weeks ago that if the president took a position on a bill, so that we knew we would actually be making a law and not just having serial votes, I’d be happy to put it on the floor.”

Texas state Rep. Matt Schaefer (R) posted on Facebook that “so-called gun-control solutions” won’t “stop a person with evil intent,” and that people should instead pray for victims and those with “evil intent.”

Said Schaefer: “‘Do something!’ is the statement we keep hearing. As an elected official with a vote in Austin, let me tell you what I am NOT going to do. I am NOT going to use the evil acts of a handful of people to diminish the God-given rights of my fellow Texans. Period. None of these so-called gun-control solutions will work to stop a person with evil intent.”

He added: “What can we do? YES to praying for victims. YES to praying for protection. YES to praying that God would transform the hearts of people with evil intent.”

President Trump said that a mass shooting that took place a day earlier in Texas “really hasn’t changed anything” about how lawmakers are approaching gun control legislation, NBC News reports.

Said Trump: “We are in the process of dealing with Democrats and Republicans, and there’s a big package of things that’s going to be put before them by a lot of different people I’ve been speaking to a lot of senators, a lot of house members, Republicans, Democrats — this really hasn’t changed anything, we’re doing a package and we’ll see how it comes about. That’s irrespective of what happened yesterday in Texas.”

He added: “Over the last five, six, or seven years, no matter how strong you need the background checks, it wouldn’t have stopped any of it.”

USA Today: “A bulk of gun law changes took effect in Texas on Sunday, loosening restrictions just one day after a mass shooting near Odessa and Midland left at least 5 people dead. The laws open more opportunities for Texans to have firearms and store ammunition in public places.”

“From churches to public schools to foster homes, the laws also loosen restrictions on where a firearm is permitted. The laws were already set to take effect Sept. 1 but come just one day after a routine traffic stop on Interstate 20 triggered a deadly shooting rampage.”

“We don’t know how many have been killed. We don’t know the motivation. But here’s what we do know: This is fucked up.”

— Beto O’Rourke, tweeting about the latest mass shooting in Texas.

Washington Post: “Five people were killed and another 21 were injured in the West Texas cities of Odessa and Midland after a gunman fled a traffic stop, hijacked a mail truck and opened fire indiscriminately on officers and civilians as he sped down Interstate 20 and Highway 191, police said.”

Politico: “Fresh off Thursday evening conversations with White House staffers and a recent call with the president himself, the Connecticut Democrat says it is still possible that Trump and Senate Republicans will act in the wake of several recent mass shootings. While Murphy deems the chances of movement less than 50 percent and recognizes some may deem him naive, he said it’s his ‘obligation’ to keep pushing.”

President Trump offered what appeared to be yet another pivot in his views on gun control measures, saying the nation’s background check system is “already strong” but that he has “an appetite” for plugging loopholes in the federal process, Politico reports.

“In the weeks since back-to-back mass shootings, Trump has waffled on strengthening background checks, at first offering gun control advocates hope that he would ignore the protests of the gun lobby and push the issue before apparently retreating over the weekend.”

“The student activists who crashed the political arena after the mass shooting last year at their high school in Parkland, Fla., are throwing their weight behind a new and ambitious gun-control program that they hope will set the tone for the debate following the most recent mass shootings and headed into the 2020 elections,” the Washington Post reports.

Axios has highlights of the proposal.

President Trump called National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre to tell him that universal background checks for gun purchases are off the table, The Atlantic reports.

In the call, Trump said he instead wanted to focus now on “increasing funding” for mental-health care and directing attorneys general across the country to start prosecuting “gun crime” through federal firearms charges from the Justice Department.

Said one White House aide: “The only worry now… is that once Congress returns from recess and talk of gun-control legislation restarts, Trump will change his mind yet again.”

President Trump said that the United States already has “very strong background checks” for gun purchasers and that officials need to be wary of the prospect of a “slippery slope” where “everything gets taken away,” The Hill reports.

Trump’s comments provided more evidence that he is backtracking after initially expressing support for enhanced background checks following a pair of mass shootings that killed 31 people earlier this month.

“A fifth member of the National Rifle Association’s board of directors has resigned, the latest in a string of high-profile defections within the powerful gun rights group in recent weeks,” Newsweek reports.