After Florida school shootings, the conservative tabloid says the president must try to ‘stop the slaughter’

Donald Trump has come under pressure to introduce tougher gun controls from an unexpected quarter after the traditionally friendly New York Post pleaded with the president to act in the wake of the Florida school shooting.

In a plea to Trump, a longtime reader of the paper, the Post’s editorial board wrote on the front of Friday’s edition: “Mr President, please act,” adding underneath the banner headline: “We need sensible gun control to help stop the slaughter.”

In a separate opinion piece, the Post’s editorial board writes: “Mr President, this is your moment. You can keep your promises to the kids and the parents and honor your offer to do ‘whatever we can do.’ Prove how much you truly want to curb the carnage – and refuse to play hostage to the extremists on either side of these issues.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest New York Post front cover pleads for gun control. Photograph: New York Post

The paper, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, has traditionally not weighed in on the issue of gun control, unlike its rival, the New York Daily News, which has used its cover to advocate for tightening restrictions on firearm sales.

On Thursday, the Daily News’ cover showed a gun pointed at the viewer with the headline: “This is Us.” In a tweet, the paper said: “The thing we once called unthinkable has happened nearly 300 times since Sandy Hook.”

The New York Times editorial board wrote that “The NRA can be beat”. It said: “The gun lobby’s stranglehold on our elected officials does not need to continue, if candidates stand up to the lobby and voters demand that they commit themselves to the sorts of changes that a vast majority of Americans want.

“With midterm elections coming up this fall, America has a chance to get that message across. Candidates must realize that reducing gun violence is a winning and moral issue. Aggressive turnout by voters who believe this can defeat the N.R.A. at the polls. Until then, the bloodshed will continue.”

In an address to the nation on Thursday, Trump condemned the “terrible violence, hatred and evil” and pledged to “tackle” the issue of mental health, but he did not respond to calls for stricter gun control. Trump announced on Thursday that he planned to visit the high school in Parkland near Fort Lauderdale where the attack took place.

Meanwhile, some parents of the victims of the shooting have made emotional appeals to Trump to protect schools against further attacks.