About the best anyone can say about Wednesday's events in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, following a pair of mass shootings over the weekend was that "do something" became, at least for the moment, America's prevailing instruction. President Trump flew to both cities to console victims and mourners. But he did so in a publicly combative style that drew protests from those who believe he brews racism and grievance, and attracted passionate rebuttals from his supporters, who argue that no president shapes the minds of armed murderers. In the "do something" camp are the governors of Ohio and Texas, Mike DeWine and Greg Abbott, both Republicans. DeWine, under pressure from Ohioans to take action, said on Tuesday that he'll push for tough background checks and "red flag" laws, among other responses, while Abbott held a meeting with Texas officials on Wednesday and emerged with a plan for more discussions, possibly this month (The Texas Tribune). "We need new and different strategies that go above and beyond what we did in the aftermath of dealing with shootings that took place at the school in Santa Fe," Abbott said, referencing the 2018 shooting at a high school that killed eight students and two teachers. After that 2018 shooting, Abbott similarly called for roundtable meetings. Trump, who has developed a pattern of endorsing and then abandoning proposed federal responses in the wake of mass shootings, knows the realities of the public debate: Congress has not passed major gun control legislation in two decades. He said he's generally in favor of tighter gun background checks, if the GOP-controlled Senate could muster enough votes. He knows the Senate will not. Trump told reporters that Congress lacks the "political appetite" to reinstate a ban on semiautomatic assault weapons, which expired in 2004. He is correct, but he has never put his presidential weight behind the idea that tough gun restrictions should be part of any national response to mass shootings. "These are sick people," Trump said. "It's a mental problem." The Hill: President visits Dayton, El Paso amid protests calling for gun control. "I'm looking to do background checks," the president added, noting that he is consulting with House and Senate leaders about potential legislation. "I think background checks are important. I don't want to put guns into the hands of mentally unstable people or people with rage or hate, sick people." Democrats in Congress and those running for president argue that the National Rifle Association (NRA) has a stranglehold on Republicans in Congress, and on Trump as he seeks reelection. The Washington Post: Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) attacked Trump on Wednesday during separate speeches using scathing words and different messages. The president's response on Wednesday was that Democrats who fault his rhetoric, his policies, his motivations or his impact just want to score "political points" and are politicians who "aren't doing very well." "I think my rhetoric is a very — it brings people together," Trump said. "Our country is doing incredibly well." Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), who briefly flirted this year with a bid for the White House, greeted Trump on the tarmac when he arrived in Dayton, along with Democratic Mayor Nan Whaley. Brown, who said the president "was comforting" and "did the right things" while visiting Dayton, later complained that Congress cannot combat mass shootings because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the president are "in bed with the gun lobby" (The Hill). McConnell built an extensive record as an opponent of gun restrictions during 35 years in the Senate and has reaped the benefits of a close relationship with the NRA (NBC News). Nonetheless, the majority leader has turned to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and two other GOP leaders to seek a bipartisan compromise on federal "red flag" legislation, which would allow authorities to obtain a type of protective order — known as an extreme risk protection order, or E.R.P.O. — to remove guns from people deemed to be dangerous. The Associated Press: Bipartisan Senate momentum may be growing toward a vote on a "red flag" proposal. Some Senate Democrats have co-sponsored "red flag" measures, which remained in limbo since last year, and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) argued on Wednesday that Republicans' sudden enthusiasm for such legislation is a red herring. He said Senate Democrats want a floor vote on House-passed measures tightening background checks. The Hill: Democrats argue a federal "red flag" law would not be enough. Partisan divides in America over guns run deep. But large majorities of both gun owners and non owners have favored limiting access to guns for people with mental illnesses and individuals who are on federal no-fly or watch lists. They have also embraced background checks for private sales and for sales at gun shows, according to an in-depth Pew Research Center study conducted in 2017. FiveThirtyEight explained on Wednesday how views about gun control have changed in the last 30 years: "The big-picture trend appears to be that, after bottoming out in the polls almost a decade ago, gun control has gotten more popular recently." The Hill: Trump "all in favor" of background checks but doubts will of Congress. The Hill: Trump slams Ohio Democrats after his visit to a Dayton hospital. The New York Times: What could a domestic terrorism law do? Not all murderous rampages involve guns. A 31-year-old man wielding a knife stabbed and killed four people and wounded two, apparently at random, during a bloody two-hour drama across two Southern California cities on Wednesday. The suspect, whose motivation was described as "rage," was arrested (The Associated Press). 
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