AP Photo Trump wants focus on 'mental illness problem,' not gun control

Donald Trump, once a staunch supporter of background checks on gun purchasers, says the country should focus on the “mental illness problem” in the wake of the mass shooting last week at Umpqua Community College in Oregon that left 10 people dead.

“You're going to have problems no matter how good, no matter what kind of checks you do, you know, what kind of laws,” the Republican presidential contender said in an interview aired Sunday on NBC's “Meet the Press.” “Now, with that, I think mental health, we have to do better. We have to do a much better job with mental health.”


Citing violence in Chicago and Baltimore, Trump said “a lot of the places where you have the biggest problem is where they have the strongest laws,” but he demurred when pressed on national gun laws.

Asked how he would address mental health as president, Trump suggested “better services, better doctors,” but also warned against institutionalizing too quickly when a patient “hasn’t done anything yet.”

The billionaire New York real estate developer and entertainer also said he supported the local sheriff’s decision in Oregon to not say the shooter’s name, while criticizing the media for using it, which Trump said creates “copycats.”

“Wouldn't it be wonderful if you wouldn't cover it?” Trump said. “Because I think that's part of the problem.”

NBC host Chuck Todd also pressed Trump on myriad other issues, including his new tax plan, cuts to federal agencies and streamlining military spending.

“I'm gonna build a military that's gonna be much stronger than it is right now,” Trump said. “But you know what? We can do it for a lot less.”

Asked if he would cut defense spending, Trump said he wouldinstead tackle waste and fraud.

Reminded by Todd said that politicians always say they'll end “waste, fraud and abuse,” Trump replied, “But I’m not a politician.”