Donald Trump has indicated support for clearer background checks that could stop criminals from buying guns (AP)

Donald Trump said he would back a plan to make it harder to buy a gun in the wake of the Florida school shooting.

White House spokesman Raj Shah said Monday: ‘While discussions are ongoing and revisions are being considered, the President is supportive of efforts to improve the federal background check system.’

Triathlete gives up chance of winning medal after noticing rival go wrong way

It came after a meeting between Trump and Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn about a bill he introduced with Connecticut Democrat Senator Chris Murphy last Friday.

That bill would strengthen how federal and state governments report crimes that could stop those who have committed them from buying a weapon.




The surprise announcement came after last Wednesday’s shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland, Florida, that killed three school workers and 14 students.

Trump ran as a pro-gun candidate and received $20million in campaign donations from the NRA.

A weekend protest calling for increased gun control in the wake of the Parkland School shooting. President Trump signalled Monday that he would support an overhaul of the background checks system (Getty)

An image taken inside a classroom during last week’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High that killed 17 (Picture: @Melody_Ball/Twitter)

Former student Nikolas Cruz, 19, who committed the massacre, had previously been reported to the FBI over fears he was planning a massacre, but the Bureau ignored the tip.

After the bloodbath, Trump blamed Cruz’s actions on ‘mental health’.

He later even suggested the FBI were to blame for focusing too much energy on investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

In a 2000 book, The America We Deserve, Trump went further on gun control, saying: ‘I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun.

‘With today’s Internet technology, we should be able to tell within 72 hours if a potential gun owner has a record.’