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disorderlyvision
06-17-2009, 06:46 AM
http://www.newschannel34.com/content/developingnews/story/Mayors-Against-Illegal-Guns/2-aW0t0XXkiPNSIWbzpn6A.cspx


MAYORS AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS SURPASSES 400 MAYORS
Mayors Praise Passage of U.S. Conference of Mayors Resolution in Support of Fight Against Illegal Guns

Mayor Matthew Ryan Joins Coalition in Wake of Fatal Binghamton Shooting
The bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns today announced that the membership of the coalition has grown to more than 400 mayors, making it almost 30 times as large as when it was founded in 2006. The growth of the coalition, which now represents over 56 million Americans, was announced at the United States Conference of Mayors annual meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. Mayors Against Illegal Guns also praised a resolution by the nonpartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors, passed at its annual meeting, in support of efforts to fight illegal guns. The resolution calls on Congress to repeal the restrictions on law enforcement access to crucial gun trace data known as the Tiahrt Amendments. It also calls for the passage of legislation to achieve the Coalition’s goals of fixing the broken background check system by: closing the gun show loophole, requiring background checks for gun store employees, ending gun dealer fire sales and preventing terrorism suspects from buying guns.

“The growing ranks of our coalition demonstrate how broad the movement to pass common sense gun laws has become,” said New York City Mayor and coalition co-chair Michael R. Bloomberg. “Since 2006, America’s mayors have stood up to the special interests and called for closing federal and state loopholes that give criminals and traffickers easy access to illegal weapons. A meeting of 15 mayors three years ago has grown into an impressive 400-member coalition that has taken the lead in the fight to fix the glaring gaps in our nation’s gun laws.”
“In just a few short years, we’ve seen the ranks of our coalition grow tremendously,” Mayor of Boston and coalition co-chair Thomas M. Menino said. “We’re not just talking about the issue of illegal guns; we’re taking action to make our streets safer and stem the flow of these weapons to our communities. I’m proud that so many of my fellow mayors have given their support to help bring our message to Washington D.C. and to millions of Americans. Our coalition’s strength and diversity prove that the issue of illegal guns isn't about politics. It’s about public safety.”

“Tragedy struck our community this spring, when an individual shot and killed 13 of our citizens, and then turned the gun on himself,” said Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan. “We began a painful healing process following the incident, and part of this effort includes making our streets safer. That is why I have joined Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and I look forward to working with the coalition to eliminate the threat of illegal guns in our communities.”

“Illegal guns pose a persistent threat to the public and to the law enforcement officers sworn to protect the peace,” said Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle, the incoming President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “America’s cities have continued to suffer this year from the tragic consequences of gun violence. The coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns has led the way in the fight against illegal guns, and today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors is proud to join together with the coalition to advocate for common sense policies that will help to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.”

“Mayors Against Illegal Guns and the U.S. Conference of Mayors have called attention to a critical fact: illegal guns are a national problem that requires a national response,” said Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton. “In our fight against gun violence, we must address the national scope of this issue, and get cities, states, and the federal government to work together to close the dangerous loopholes that aid and abet criminals in obtaining illegal guns.”

“In Pennsylvania, our mayors have attended too many funerals, including for several police officers who were shot in the line of duty. Illegal guns aren’t just a big city problem – their effect is powerfully felt in smaller cities and towns as well,” said Reading Mayor Thomas McMahon. “Mayors Against Illegal Guns, together with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, is sending a loud and clear message from America’s cities to the halls of power in Washington. Large or small, Republican or Democrat, East Coast or West Coast – mayors are joining together to fight illegal gun violence and demand real action at all levels of government.”

The text of the resolution, as adopted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, appears below:

Resolution No.40

Submitted by:

The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg
Mayor of New York

The Honorable Mayor Thomas M. Menino
Mayor of Boston

The Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa
Mayor of Los Angeles

The Honorable Ron Dellums
Mayor of Oakland

The Honorable Michael Nutter
Mayor of Philadelphia

The Honorable Manuel A. Diaz
Mayor of Miami

The Honorable John Peyton
Mayor of Jacksonville

The Honorable R.T. Rybak
Mayor of Minneapolis

The Honorable David N. Cicilline
Mayor of Providence

The Honorable Byron W. Brown
Mayor of Buffalo

The Honorable Richard M. Daley
Mayor of Chicago

The Honorable Sheila Dixon
Mayor of Baltimore

The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Mayor of San Francisco

COMMON SENSE MEASURES IN SUPPORT OF EFFORTS
TO FIGHT ILLEGAL GUNS

1. WHEREAS, on April 25, 2006 a bipartisan group of fifteen Mayors met in New York City at the Mayor's Summit on Illegal Guns, co-chaired by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, to begin a nationwide effort to fight illegal guns; and

2. WHEREAS, today, over 400 mayors, representing over 56 million people across the United States, are now members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns; and

3. WHEREAS, 30,000 Americans across the country are killed every year as a result of gun violence, destroying families and communities in big cities and small towns; and

4. WHEREAS, illegal guns from the United States are posing problems along the U.S.-Mexico border, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) estimating that at least 90 percent of guns that are recovered at nationwide effort to fight illegal guns; and

5. WHEREAS, as Mayors, we are duty-bound to do everything in our power to protect our residents, especially our children, from harm and there is no greater threat to public safety than the threat of illegal guns; and

6. WHEREAS, given all of this, we support five key measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, including repealing the Tiahrt Amendments and closing four gaps in the federal background check system; and

7. WHEREAS, the Tiahrt Amendments, which have been inserted into the Department of Justice appropriations bill each year since FY2003, place unnecessarily broad restrictions on access to and use of gun trace data that is compiled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Congress should repeal the Tiahrt Amendments; and

8. WHEREAS, licensed gun dealers are required to run criminal background checks on all buyers, but a loophole in the law enables criminals to avoid these checks if they buy from gun-sellers who do not have licenses. Often operating at gun shows, these unlicensed sellers give criminals the opportunity to sidestep the background check system and easily purchase guns. Congress should close the “gun show loophole; and

9. WHEREAS, the federal government can shut down a gun dealer for selling illegally, but it has nevertheless permitted dealers to sell off their inventory – without conducting background checks. Congress should end such gun dealer firesales; and

10. WHEREAS, under current law, if a person can’t buy guns – because he or she has a criminal record or a history of mental illness – that person cannot sell guns either. But the law fails to require dealers to conduct background checks on their employees, even though they already use the background check system in their stores every day. Congress should require gun store employee background checks; and

11. WHEREAS, seven years after 9/11, the federal government can stop suspects on terror watch lists from getting on airplanes, but it cannot stop them from buying firearms. Congress should close the “Terror Gap”,

12. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The United States Conference of Mayors calls on Congress to enact legislation that would prevent guns from getting into the hands of criminals by closing serious gaps in the gun background check system. USCM calls on Congress to close the gun show loophole, end the gun dealer fire sales provision, require gun dealers to perform background checks on their employees, and close the terror gap; and

13. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The United States Conference of Mayors calls on Congress to reject legislative proposals such as the Tiahrt amendment and others that limit our cities’ ability to solve and prevent crime in our communities.

About the Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Since its inception in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from just 15 mayors to over 400 members in over 40 states. Mayors Against Illegal Guns has united the nation’s mayors around these common goals: finding new way to strengthen the enforcement of existing laws, protecting their communities by holding gun offenders and irresponsible gun dealers accountable, demanding access to trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat illegal gun trafficking, and working with legislators to fix gaps, weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other prohibited purchasers to get guns.

BillyDkid
06-17-2009, 06:57 AM
I don't know. Who is in favor of "illegal guns"??? Nobody I know.

Dr.3D
06-17-2009, 07:12 AM
Really, I don't see any gun as being illegal but rather some people do illegal things with guns. This also holds true with knives. People could get all upset and jump up and down about some kind of illegal knife but really, it is the person who is using the knife that may do something illegal with it.

Pericles
06-17-2009, 09:21 AM
Let's see what the Governor of Texas has to say about that:

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii210/LaRueTactical/Govs_Visit/P5149320.jpg (http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii210/LaRueTactical/Govs_Visit/P5149320.jpg)

ramallamamama
06-17-2009, 09:57 AM
Dr Piazza should send them all Front Sight 'grey' certificates and pocket Constitutions. Sucks when so many public servants are just sheep.

malkusm
06-17-2009, 10:14 AM
Guns don't kill people. I kill people.

:eek:

Steeleye
06-17-2009, 10:57 AM
Notice they're all mayors of shitholes.