In the wake of the most recent mass shooting, President Donald Trump sought advice on gun control from a trusted source: rich people staying at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida.

According to the Washington Post, Trump spent the weekend at his resort watching cable news, complaining about the Russia investigation, and asking "Mar-a-Lago Club members about whether he ought to champion gun control measures in the wake of last week’s school massacre in nearby Parkland."

He also took time to exploit the tragedy on Twitter, insinuating that the FBI was too distracted by its Russia investigation to stop the 19-year-old shooter, who legally purchased the semi-automatic AR-15 rifle used in the massacre at a local gun shop.

Tweet may have been deleted

Ideally, instead of asking people who could afford a $200,000 initiation fee about gun control, the president would have looked at recent research on the topic.

Sadly, in 1996, the Republican-controlled Congress stopped the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from researching firearm injuries and deaths. It doesn't take a scientist, however, to notice there have been a lot of deadly shootings recently.

The tragedy in Florida, in which 17 adults and children were gunned down at Stoneman Douglas High School, is the ninth deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Last year, 58 people were killed in Las Vegas in the deadliest mass shooting the country has ever seen. The year before, 49 people were killed when a man opened fire inside a gay nightclub in Orlando.

One sliver of hope? According to sources who talked to the Post, Trump said he was "was closely monitoring the media appearances by some of the surviving students." Those brave kids have been speaking passionately about the need for stricter gun control, even planning a nationwide "March For Our Lives" on March 24 to send a message to Washington. Hopefully, Trump will be listening.

（作者：新闻中心）