It was easy for gun lovers to write off Roof’s racially motivated attack as the act of a mentally deranged 21-year-old. Still, lawmakers never did anything to keep people like Roof from having access to firearms. In fact, in February, President Donald Trump made it easier for some 75,000 mentally ill people to get guns. He rescinded a rule put in place under President Barack Obama requiring the Social Security Administration to report certain mentally ill recipients to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which screens gun applicants.