Donald Trump — already the bane of many establishment Republicans — is now in a new battle with the GOP rank-and-file over gun control measures.
The Washington Post reports that Trump's surprise call for congressional action on new gun-control legislation is getting the cold shoulder from his party and likely pit GOP lawmakers against their presumptive presidential nominee.
The new wrinkle comes as Capitol Hill tries to cope with calls for new gun laws in the wake of Sunday's attack in Orlando, in which a gunman with terrorist allegiances killed 49 people and injured 53 at a crowded nightclub.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, an Alabama Republican and Trump supporter, told The Post: "There's nothing wrong with [Trump] trying to energize the discussion on it and work out something that would be healthy and that we can all agree on."
But, he added, gun control is "not the greatest issue in the world," and that congressional Republicans should not take cues from Trump on it.
Trump, who has been endorsed by the NRA, entered the gun debate on Wednesday, saying he would meet with NRA leaders to talk about banning people on terrorism watch lists from buying guns.
"I'll be looking at it very, very seriously — the terror watch list and the no-fly list, I'm going to be talking to the NRA about that and starting a real dialogue. I think a lot of people agree with me but I want to really hear what they have to say," Trump told Fox News.
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