US President Donald Trump, during a press briefing, responded to questions about gun law reforms following Thursday’s Florida State University shooting by saying, “the gun does not do the shooting but people do.”
The incident left two people dead and five others injured.
Speaking from the Oval Office while signing unrelated executive orders, Trump said, “Look, I’m a big advocate of the Second Amendment, that happened from the beginning. I protected it, and these things are terrible, but the gun doesn’t do the shooting, the people do.”
Earlier, ahead of a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Trump called the FSU shooting “a shame,” but indicated he was not likely to pursue changes to US gun laws.
“As far as legislation is concerned, this has been going on for a long time. I have an obligation to protect the Second Amendment, I ran on the Second Amendment, among many other things, and I will always protect the Second Amendment,” he said.
CNN reported that during his first term, Trump showed some openness to strengthening background checks for gun purchases, but later softened his stance after meeting with then-NRA chief Wayne LaPierre at the White House. On the campaign trail in October 2024, Trump told supporters that the Second Amendment “is under siege,” and highlighted his endorsement from the NRA.
FSU shooting
The fatal shooting unfolded on Thursday at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Two people who were not students were killed, and at least five others were wounded.
Students, faculty, and visiting parents scrambled for cover across the campus after an active shooter alert was issued. Some hid in classrooms, offices, and dorms, while others crammed into a freight elevator after hearing gunfire near the student union.
Authorities said the weapon used in the attack belonged to the 20-year-old suspect, Phoenix Ikner’s mother, a long-time employee of the sheriff’s office. The gun was identified as her former service weapon. The suspect, believed to be an enrolled student, was shot and injured by police and taken into custody.
Though mass shootings at universities are relatively rare, they remain a persistent concern among students who grew up participating in lockdown and active shooter drills, according to the Associated Press.
“There’s this overarching fear that at any moment, something could happen and each time it does happen, it reinforces these fears,” said Michael Lawlor, a criminal justice professor at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.
