Trump says he's watching courts before acting on gun age limits

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump put responsibility for raising the age limits on gun purchases to the courts and U.S. states on Monday, saying he would wait for judicial rulings before acting.

"On 18 to 21 Age Limits, watching court cases and rulings before acting. States are making this decision. Things are moving rapidly on this, but not much political support (to put it mildly)," he wrote on Twitter.

The proposal to raise the minimum age for buying guns from 18 to 21 was not part of a modest set of gun safety proposals announced on Sunday night by Trump administration officials, which included training teachers to carry guns in schools and improving background checks.

Trump has said he believes armed teachers would deter school shootings and better protect students when they happen. The idea, already in place in some states, is backed by the National Rifle Association gun lobby.

%InlineRelated-url="https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/02/20/columbine-survivor-patrick-neville-pushes-for-concealed-carry-gun-laws-in-colorado-schools/23366348/" CTA="SEE ALSO" title="Columbine survivor Patrick Neville pushes for concealed carry gun laws in Colorado schools"%

The Republican president, who championed gun rights during his 2016 campaign, vowed to take action to prevent school shootings after a gunman killed 17 students and faculty at a high school in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14.

The modest fixes proposed by the White House stepped back from some of the more sweeping changes Trump had considered after the latest school shooting.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)