April 26, 2006
Mayors Meet to Fight Illegal Guns
Mayor Bloomberg and Boston's Mayor Menino hosted a summit to stop the spread of illegal guns in communities, with thirteen mayors from other cities (Buffalo, Dallas, Hartford, Jackson, Jersey City, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Providence, Seattle, Trenton, Tulsa, DC and Yonkers) in attendance. Bloomberg referenced the death of 2 year old David Pacheco, saying, "The only thing that would have helped that child is if we had the courage to stand up and get the guns off the street. And those who vote against getting guns off the street really are the ones as much responsible as the shooter, because if the shooter didn't have a gun, that child would still be alive." Fighting words - and the Mayor also blamed Congress for not doing enough. A Harvard professor explained to the Times, "We are not an aberrant country in terms of crime or in terms of violence. The only difference is homicides, where we are way out of whack. We have many more handguns and much weaker gun laws than any other country."
Read the press release from the Mayor's office, which notes the following agreements from the gang of 15:
- Work with local law enforcement agencies and state representatives to maximize penalties for those who posses, use and traffic in illegal gunsNotice how the room where the mayors met was decked out in American flags and the "logo" for the event has red and white stripes, reminding everyone that these mayors stand for America, as the NRA will be doing its best to prove they don't.
- Team up to oppose potentially damaging and limiting federal legislation
- Share best practices and innovative policing and law enforcement strategies - which includes creating a website to serve as a resource to all participating cities
- Meet by the end of the year and try to increase the number mayors attending to 50
Photograph from the AP
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i hope it works
Jen,
You and Mayor Bloomberg, along with the rest of the clowns at yesterday's circus, are so out of touch with reality it's not funny. You represent an ever shrinking liberal minority, unable to deal with the fact that your social policies are a complete failure. It’s a sign of desperation on Bloomberg’s part, trying to shift the blame to everyone but himself. Wave the flag all you want. Bloomberg and Company (including you) are out of touch, out of the mainstream, and more and more people are waking up to that fact.
I think there should be more flags.
......Perhaps a snazzy salute to go with those flags.Something strong, no nonsense. An empty palm to show that I don't need no stinkin' gun. And a hand raised high in the air to show our pride. Yeah, that's it.
Jacob, I'd respond to your comment, but in that paragraph, you managed to say nothing substantive about gun control and how these so-called liberal policies are out of touch. Care to elaborate?
I agree with commenter 4. Jacob, it would be interesting if you could contribute something substantive instead of sounding like some angry, bitter neo-con. I tried exploring your blog for substantive commentary, but didn't find anything there either.
I'm trying not to be snarky, as I am a 2nd amendment supporter.
Good luck,
notice it says the Summit was held at Gracie Mansion. I know that don't mean much to NY'ers but other parts of the US may focus on that.
As well they should. I bet the Mayor has a carry permit along with all the rich, the connected, the celebrities. Tell my why should the NYPD give Aerosmith (tyler and perry), who's not even a resident of NYC, a carry permit.
The Flags are a nice touch.
Uh, rev, what exactly does your rant about carry permits have to do with the Mayors' Summit on Illegal Guns? If anything, I think that would give Mikey more cred. He'd be an actual gun owner who wants controls, not some ultra far-left gun-hating nut, the way Jacob above likes to lump together everybody who disagrees with him.
Well, the part on giving a non nyc resident a carry permit for one. Why is that? because NYC does not recognise or honor any permits from any non resident, nor do they honor permits from other States.
You have to be a resident in order to get a permit.
I see some illegalities there and how they obtained those priviledges.
The mayor does not hate guns because his detail has them. He just doesn't want other people having them.
#6: I'm not entirely sure what you were intending to imply by mentioning that the summit was at Gracie Mansion, but fyi Gracie Mansion has been the official and ceremonial ny mayor's residence since 1942. What's your beef?
The politics of carry permits is clear. The liberal elites of the city, and their propaganda arm (hollywood, MTV rocker folks) all have carry permits. The average citizen however, does not have the right (that can be reasonably exercised) to carry a handgun.
Liberalism is elitism, and Bloomberg manifests this more than anyone else. He talks about gun violence, meanwhile the city has gone to hell during his reign. Half the people I know have been mugged in the past two years. I haven't been on the subway once in a year without being accosted by some filthy, aggressive bum. My own building has graffiti on it for the first time in a decade.
The problem in this city is not guns, illegal or otherwise, it is a persistent inability of the police force to do their job. Whatever the cause may be, we need an effective police force.
And, liberals, come on! Gun control is a failure! Housing projects are failures! Homeless shelters are failures! Anyone who has lived in NYC, the mecca of failed liberal policies, knows this. The only liberals you find in NYC are rich, or recent college grads in Williamsburg and Park Slope. The only reason there are any democrats in the city government is so many people are on welfare, and there are so many rich people in Manhattan.
amen rev.
tyler has a conceal carry permit? feh.
but imo the major problem with nyc hangun regulation is it that is much much easier (and probably less expensive) to buy an illegal weapon on the street than it is to go through legal channels.
this creates a lot of perverse incentives to break the law, and makes the black handgun market a lot bigger than it has to be which puts -everyone- at risk. boring aesthetic arguments about gun ownership aside, it is hard to argue (reasonably, anyway,) that a licensed gun owner is anywhere near as dangerous as an unlicensed one.
How could gun laws be any more successful than drug laws? The mayor is either stupid or dishonest for pretending otherwise. He's just using other states as scapegoats for the savagery of his own constituents, and the his own inability or unwillingness to change New York's policies back to the way they were in the 1950s before we had these problems.
Drug dealers and users are living in anarchy. They cannot ask police to help protect their illegal property, nor can they ask the courts to enforce their business agreements. Anarchy results in violence and savagery. The answer is simple: either legalize hard drugs, or end the illegal drug trade. (To do the latter, you'll probably have to kill off all the addicts.)
In the meantime, we should not ask why the shooter was able to get a gun, but rather why we let people like him walk the streets.
The cities with the highest violent crime rates? New York, LA, Chicago, and of course, the queen, Washington DC. THe cities with the most stringent gun laws? New York, LA, Chicago, and of course, the queen, Washington DC. Any questions? Disarming the populous not only makes the criminal feel safer; it attracts them from all over the country like moths to a flame. "Victims can't fight back here!" and "Safe for criminals!" is the message these mayors are sending.
"Illegal gun" is an oxymoron, like "illegal sink" or "illegal bycycle". Sinks, bikes, and guns aren't illegal; people's actions are. Quit focusing on the tool, and pay attention to the ACT!
Do you wamt something substantive about gun control? Here goes:20,000plus laws and it doesn't work. If you need any other info check the crime rates in Britain, Australia, and Canada. Thank you and do your homework.
Illegal guns are owned by whom? Criminals!
Why can't these mayors see the root of the problem is not with guns, but with the early release/parole of violent criminals, constant repeat offenders and the plea bargaining of violent crimes down to something "less serious" is beyond me. The REAL root of the problem, the criminals who use guns in their dirty deeds, and the way they merely have their hands slapped for violent crimes needs to be addressed. Not the gun, hammer, knife, tazer, pipe, car or pepper spray these criminals use to commit their crimes.
A violent criminal will ALWAYS find a weapon to use. Handguns have been banned in England, but that hasn't stopped an underground network of criminals from manufacturing them from starter pistols! So what will Bloomberg decide should be regulated next, after all law-abiding citizens have been stripped of their rights to self-defense and only criminals, who will still be able to find themselves a gun if they want to, continue to reek havoc amongst the population?
It's a sad state when so many citizens can't see that these flags, the great symbol of my country that was founded by my forefathers who fought long and hard for our 2nd Amendment rights are being misused as a disguise for the wool being pulled over their heads. Look deeper and you will see that this is just a tactic for power and control at the risk of YOUR freedoms, YOUR country, and unfortunately, YOUR life.
Criminal control should be the issue here, not gun control. For REAL facts, try visiting http://www.gunfacts.info for your enlightenment, and you may not be so easily fooled again.