Like most Repugs, Trump is opposed to gun sanity reforms. So his hands are hardly clean. But tho we CAN blame him for moving backwards on (an already massively & decisively insufficient) climate policy, pursing idiotic trade wars and other policies that might trigger an economic slump, his qualitatively more horrendous immigrant policies and abasement of national political debate. But gun control and mass shootings have been around for MANY years, without much effective action. Although the era of mass shootings that started with or before Columbine had not yet begun, gun control has been a widely recognized, popular, and urgent need for as long as I've been politically active (over 40 years) AT LEAST. Not only under Repugs, but in the late 70s, under Clinton (including his first two years) and Obama (ditto) only really minimal half-measures if anything have even been seriously debated let alone passed.
As for mass shootings, they too have been increasingly commonplace, including well before Obama & his early massive Democratic Congressional majority in 09-10, with little done to address them at the federal level, or even to significantly mobilize nationally until the MDS High School shooting this Valentine's Day. We had Pulse, Virginia State, Sandy Hook and much more before DT, and they were just as fascist (both the actions, and the paralysis of action in response) as what we have now.
That said, it is time for serious national mobilization on the issue of gun sanity, and not just young people either. In addition to registering and voting, the full panoply of activism that characterized the Civil Rights and other movements, as well as newer tactics adapted to the 21st century, are needed. And in addition to measures that might conceivably pass at the federal level (and it will be QUITE A WHILE before the opportunity for federal gun sanity legislation equal to or greater than that afforded in 09-10 will come around again) there should be "model" comprehensive legislation on guns & gun violence put forward in ballot measures at the state level starting in the most favorable venues that have initiative referendum allowed -- like here in MA. Sure MA has much more gun regulation and less gun violence than other states, but some kind of ideal legislation would be a step forward even here, and could then be emulated in other sympathetic venues, including CA. Again, this stuff at the state level CAN go forward during the DT/Pence years, which cannot be assumed will end in 2021 or sooner.
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