K-Romulus
Member
Since we are taking The High Road here, I figure Bloomberg's own words should be presented for review:
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15712769.htm
He did get one thing right: legally owned firearms are typically NOT used in crimes.
But I see at least two errors here: Nothing in the ATF modernization act would prevent law enforcement from getting trace data on recovered firearms, and the same bill increases the number of possible penalties that ATF could impose on a dealer.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15712769.htm
Posted on Mon, Oct. 09, 2006
Commentary
Mayors aim to keep guns in safe hands
By Michael R. Bloomberg
The horrific murders in Lancaster County last week remind us of the tragic consequences that guns can cause when they fall into the wrong hands. Although the gun used in these killings was purchased legally, the fact is that most guns used in murders are purchased illegally. We can do something to stop those tragic crimes - and shame on us if we don't.
Recently, at the invitation of Mayor Street, I joined a bipartisan delegation of Pennsylvania mayors, as well as Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, on a visit to Harrisburg to push for tougher laws against illegal guns. Why does the mayor of New York City care about Pennsylvania's gun laws? Because about 90 percent of guns used in crimes in our city come from out of state, including many from Pennsylvania.
Taking illegal guns off New York City's streets requires us not only to strengthen law enforcement efforts within our city, which we have done - gun arrests are up 14 percent this year - but also to prevent illegal guns from flowing into our city in the first place.
Mayors across the country are facing the same dual challenge. That's why this year, with help from Mayors Street and Palmer, we created a national coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. More than 100 mayors - from both political parties - have joined us, including Pennsylvania mayors from Allentown to Williamsport.
We're working together to share data, learn from innovative law enforcement initiatives, and begin raising our voices in Congress and state capitals, where we know we face uphill battles. Although there is no shortage of elected representatives who purport to be tough on crime, many of them have a serious blind spot: They refuse to crack down on the illegal sale and possession of guns - and tragically, thousands of people die every year as a result.
When they say they are defending the Second Amendment, that's just deceptive political spin. Does a felon have the right to buy a gun? Absolutely not. Does a gun dealer have a right to sell to a felon? Of course not. Both actions are prohibited by federal law.
In Congress, those who place ideology over law enforcement are forever trying to strip the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives of its authority. Last month, the House passed a bill that would make it even harder than it already is for the ATF to revoke the license of a gun dealer found in serious violation of federal law.
Some members of Congress are also trying to make it more difficult for cities to trace guns used in crimes back to their source, which flies in the face of responsible governance. Think about the recent spinach problem, which has been linked to two deaths and about 200 sicknesses. What was the government's response? It tracked the contaminated spinach back to the source of the problem and pulled the stock off the shelves. Meanwhile, more than 11,000 Americans are murdered with guns every year, and yet Congress wants to prevent us from tracking back to a main source of the problem - irresponsible gun dealers who fail to follow federal laws.
Unlike members of Congress and state legislatures, mayors can't afford to let political ideology get in the way of law enforcement. Mayors are the ones who are charged with protecting the safety of the people - including the police. And when tragedy strikes and an officer is murdered, usually with an illegal gun, mayors are the ones who are called to the hospital in the middle of the night to try to offer some words of comfort to the family. Those experiences sear into your soul the importance of doing everything possible to prevent criminals from obtaining illegal guns.
This year, we pushed a bill through the New York State Legislature that increases penalties for illegal possession of a loaded gun. Whereas once many of these offenders were released with probation, they will soon get a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 31/2 years - no exceptions.
Working with the New York City Council, we also passed a bill that requires gun dealers to inspect their inventory on a biannual basis and report lost or stolen guns to the police department twice a year, which will help our officers recover these guns from those who might otherwise use them in deadly criminal activity. It's exactly these types of efforts that have helped New York, the safest big city in the nation, to continue driving down crime to record lows - even as crime in the rest of the nation is on the rise.
The mayors I talked with in Harrisburg want similar protections for their cities, as do mayors around the country. Our ranks include strong defenders of the Second Amendment, because we have one and only one aim: keeping guns out of the hands of criminals. By working together, mayors can begin taking politics out of law enforcement and continue making our cities safer places to live and work.
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Michael R. Bloomberg is the mayor of New York City. Contact him by visiting www.nyc.gov/emailmike.
He did get one thing right: legally owned firearms are typically NOT used in crimes.
But I see at least two errors here: Nothing in the ATF modernization act would prevent law enforcement from getting trace data on recovered firearms, and the same bill increases the number of possible penalties that ATF could impose on a dealer.
