With his poll numbers in free fall, it looks like Donald Trump is attempting to make a “pivot” to the center of sorts on the issue of gun control.

In a Twitter post on Wednesday, Trump said that he planned to meet with the National Rifle Association to talk “about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no fly list, to buy guns.”

I will be meeting with the NRA, who has endorsed me, about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no fly list, to buy guns.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2016

Pro-gun conservatives immediately sensed betrayal from Trump and rushed to condemn his apostasy by ripping the presumptive nominee for caving on gun control.

“This year [Trump] got the NRA endorsement and he just threw them under the bus,” thundered Erick Erickson at The Resurgent. “Banning people on the terror watch list and no fly list are terrible ideas because the second amendment is a fundamental right.”

Other conservatives were similarly angry, albeit not very surprised given Trump’s wildly erratic shifts in policy positions:

Surprised that an authoritarian strongman is eager to take guns away without due process

— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) June 15, 2016

https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/743082447122927617

Dear GOP,
Prepare for a lot of, "even Donald Trump accepts the need to ban gun sales to ppl on terror watch list" stories.#WellPlayed

— Drew McCoy (@_Drew_McCoy_) June 15, 2016

https://twitter.com/lachlan/status/743081104840794112

https://twitter.com/NoahCRothman/status/743080588358340608

Trump sides with Harry Reid vs gun rights. Raise your hand if this surprises you. https://t.co/tBCYhzSIYD

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) June 15, 2016

https://twitter.com/Norsu2/status/743096597421006848

You get the idea.

Earlier this year, Trump said that there were no circumstances where he would limit guns sales of any kind in the United States:

But back in November, Trump said that “if somebody is on a watch list and an enemy of state and we know it’s an enemy of state, I would keep them away, absolutely.”

So who knows where he stands? If the NRA tells him it’s not going to bend on this issue, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Trump deny that he ever suggested barring people on no-fly lists from buying guns.

Enjoy good journalism?

… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has cut advertising rates in half, and we need your help. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.

Value Raw Story?

… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has cut advertising rates in half, and we need your help. Like you, we believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.