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Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago as students march on Washington

The demonstrations calling for tougher gun laws in Washington DC may have been the biggest in history but many question whether congress will ever pass the legislation necessary to curb the shooting epidemic in the US. Jennifer Johnson reports – Mar 25, 2018

While hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Washington and cities around the world to push for tighter gun control laws in the U.S., Donald Trump was in Florida at Mar-a-Lago.

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While the president’s motorcade was seen driving Trump to the golf club, the White House would not confirm whether he was hitting the links or not.

READ MORE: Hundreds of thousands take to streets across U.S. to support gun control

Mar-a-Lago, which the president has referred to as the Winter White House, is a private club controlled by the Trump family.

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Trump has spent 60 days at the residence since taking over as U.S. president in January 2017, NBC News reports.

He has spent at least 50 days golfing while in office, although the exact number remains unclear since the White House chooses not to publicize his time on the course.

READ MORE: Donald Trump criticized for visiting golf course while Florida families bury shooting victims

Trump sent “thoughts and prayers” on Twitter Saturday to the people of France for a Friday attack which left four people dead.

While Trump has yet to comment on Saturday’s protests, the White House did issue a statement applauding “the many courageous young Americans exercising their First Amendment rights” at gun control marches in Washington and in cities around the nation.

On Friday, Trump said his administration will “BAN” bump stock devices that “turn legal weapons into illegal machine guns.”

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A new poll, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found that nearly 7 in 10 adult Americans now favour stricter gun control measures.

READ MORE: Donald Trump says he will ban bump stock devices

The president has ordered the Justice Department to ban bump stock devices that enable guns to fire like automatic weapons.

17 people were killed at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14, which is one of the driving forces behind Saturday’s protests, known as the “March for Our Lives.”

WATCH: Trump backtracks on raising age limit to buy guns

 

Some criticized the president for golfing in Florida as victims of the Parkland shooting were laid to rest.

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READ MORE: Donald Trump backtracks on gun reform following last month’s Florida shooting

After the Parkland shooting, Trump said he was pushing for a higher minimum age for purchasing weapons.

He has since backtracked on the idea, instead pushing to help states pay for firearms training for teachers and reiterated a call to improve the background check system as part of a new plan to prevent school shootings.

With files from Associated Press

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