US President Donald Trump has urged state governors to disregard pressure from the nation's most powerful gun lobby as they seek to address firearms safety and school security after last week's mass shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Trump embraced the National Rifle Association's call to safeguard schools by arming teachers, but also voiced support for strengthening background checks for prospective gun buyers - a proposal the NRA has traditionally resisted.
"Don't worry about the NRA. They're on our side," Trump told more than 35 governors, including Rick Scott of Florida, during a White House meeting.
"If they're not with you, we have to fight them every once in awhile. That's OK. They're doing what they think is right."
The long-simmering national debate between proponents of gun rights and advocates of firearms controls was reignited by the February 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, an affluent suburb of Fort Lauderdale.
The 14 students and three adult educators killed were shot with a semiautomatic AR-15-style assault weapon, which authorities said was purchased legally last year by the accused gunman, Nikolas Cruz, when he was 18.
Cruz, now 19, a former Stoneman Douglas student who authorities said had a history of run-ins with the law and was expelled from school for disciplinary problems, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
Trump, who backed gun rights during and since his 2016 presidential campaign, had been under pressure to show he is responding without alienating Republicans who oppose firearms restrictions.
On Monday, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah blocked an attempt by Senate leadership to quickly consider a bipartisan bill to bolster background checks on guns.
Trump, after lunching with senior NRA officials over the weekend, notably made no mention on Monday of another idea he had praised last week - raising the legal minimum age for buying an assault rifle to 21.
The NRA opposed higher minimum ages for purchasing guns. The White House said on Monday that Trump was still looking at details of such a measure.
