Posted on 04/09/2009 12:04:29 AM PDT by neverdem
America's mayors are alarmed by the string of mass shootings that have occurred in recent weeks in cities across the nation. This epidemic serves as a stark reminder that the easy availability of guns often turns domestic and personal disputes into acts of murder. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, their neighbors, and their communities in:
-- Samson, AL, where 10 people were killed on March 10;
-- Oakland, CA, where four police officers were killed on March 21;
-- Carthage, NC - eight nursing home residents were killed on March 29;
-- Santa Clara, CA, where five family members were killed March 29;
-- Binghamton, NY, where 13 people were killed April 3;
-- Graham, WA, where five children were killed April 4;
-- Pittsburgh, PA, where three police officers were killed April 4; and-- Miami, FL - my city, where in the last few weeks 12 members of three families have been killed in three separate incidents.
In most of these incidents the shooters lives were also taken, in four cases by their own hand, in one by police. And these are the dramatic shootings that garner considerable public attention. We haven't heard as much about the 84 deaths involving firearms, including 34 homicides, which occur on an average day in our nation.
The Conference of Mayors has advocated for strong gun safety policy for more than 40 years. Late last year we made gun safety a key element in our National Action Agenda on Crime for the Next President of the United States. There are six points in the agenda, which mayors and police chiefs are calling for:
1. A strengthened, effective ban on military-style assault weapons, such as
AK-47s, and their component parts must be reinstated.
2. Common sense gun legislation, such as that advocated by Mayors Against
Illegal Guns, should be enacted. Such legislation should close the gun
show loophole; keep guns out of the hands of terrorists, and no longer
permit gun dealers whose licenses are revoked to conduct fire sales.
3. Legislation should be enacted which would limit the number of guns a
person may purchase in a single transaction or in a month or other
specified period of time.
4. Law enforcement agencies' access to gun trace data should not be
limited in any way by either state or federal law - for example, by any
version of the so-called Tiahrt amendment.
5. Anyone purchasing a firearm in the United States should be required to go
through a background check. Full funding should be provided for the
National Instant Criminal Background Check System and states should be
required to submit records, including those involving persons with
serious mental health problems, to the NICS.6. The Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS) should be expanded to include ballistic images for all new guns, not just those involved in crimes. The federal government should support the development of new technologies, such as micro stamping, which can help solve crimes.
This latest epidemic of shootings has left all of us asking: How many more gun-related acts of violence must we experience before the nation's leaders will decide that it is time to act? We urge quick action on these proposals by Congress and the Administration.
SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors
Most big city mayors are democrats, aka gun-grabbers, so this is no big surprise...
Epidemic? How about a national ban on bank takeovers?
Seems to me there has been a rash of those lately as well.
The dems really mean it when they talk about not wasting a political opportunity.
Who are these Mayors that are behind this? How can we find out? I want to know if my Mayor is one of them. I want to know so that I can work to make sure that he does not stay my Mayor.
Swell.......
The document contains the email address and phone numbers of contact people for the press release. I have sent them an email requesting a list of the Mayors that have endorsed this press release. I predict my request will be ignored. If enough others ask for the list maybe something will give.
Gun bans?
The public has even less power to defend itself.
I think the desired effect is the public has less power.
The NRA is still offering free membership for one year, and it's hard to beat free: http://www.nrahq.org.
I didn’t find a list of individual members, but I did find a few things. This seems to me to be a LIBERAL “Council of Mayors”, or some kind of a PAC-like/lobbying organization. The “U.S. Council”, IMHO is more of a “make it sound legit” attempt to give a limited group of people more standing.
This is from the “PRNewswire”, so it’s not like the paper solicited their opinion. It was sent to them, and prepared BY this organization itself.
Here is their Website:
www.usmayors.org
Here are businesses listed as their “Business PLATINUM MEMBERS & Initiative Partners”. We should really hit ALL these businesses hard for being associated with this — even if they “don’t mean to be”...
http://www.usmayors.org/business/
Business Council
Platinum Members & Initiatives
Aclara
Partner America
CUSP/DuPont
EMA, Inc.
Linebarger Goggin Blair & Sampson LLP
Nationwide Retirement Solutions
Pareto Energy, Ltd.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Waste Management, Inc.
Other Business Initiatives
CGI
Cherokee Invest. Partners
DollarWi$e
U.S. Communities
USCM Deferred Compensation Program
*****************
Forgot to add the names of the “Leaders” of this group:
Mayor Manuel A. Diaz of Miami, President
Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle, Vice President
Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz of Burnsville, Second Vice President
Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of The United States Conference of Mayors
SEARCH FOR MEMBERS:
http://www.usmayors.org/meetmayors/mayorsatglance.asp
One more link:
U.S. Mayor’s Conference...
ARTICLE within a “pitch” mini-site for Businesses these people seek to work with...
U.S. Mayor’s Business Council:
“A New Political Force”
http://www.usmayors.org/buscouncil/politicalforce.asp
PS — I was just going to the article to copy a quote from it, and I’m having trouble accessing the website now... Looks like they aren’t quite “ready” for publicity, are they? LOL
"We thank the corporate members who have chosen to be active with us on the many successful joint ventures we share now and look forward to exciting future endeavors.
We invite other corporations to become members of The Mayors Business Council. We will be vigorous in urging members of the Business Council to take an active part in this important initiative, and will provide numerous opportunities for involvement.
Today the metropolitan regions — led by our urban and suburban Mayors — are the economic engines that drive this great nation and that have produced this period of incredible economic growth.
We pledge our best effort to strengthen, even more, those city — business partnerships that work each day to make our cities and nation economically strong for the benefit of all.
Ping.
JG: Didn’t see you had found the site until after I posted...
I have to amend part of my first post as I didn’t see this until reading more of their press releases (could be the meds I got put on today for my bronchitis! LOL Sorry about that...):
From their Website:
“The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in the country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the Mayor.”
Anyway, while this is an “official non-partisan organization” for all mayors of cities of 30,000 or more people, the initiatives it pushes, and the awards it gives out read like a liberal wish-list...
I also notice that when you bring up lists by state it doesn’t seem like there are enough cities (even if their criteria is 30,000 or more). I also notice that some mayors don’t have a picture listed, or any email addresses, or city websites... Thought that was rather odd for an “official” organization...
Eggzactly.
And remember, once the guns are banned, our boys in blue have ZERO legal obligation to protect us.
And they won't.
This may be a set up a precursor to more than merely national gun control. If you are a Manchurian Marxist who as president has been reached his tentacles around every fiber of society and wishes total control, would you not have your fellow travelers who are mayors of our inner cities publish this plea as the first step toward a national police force?
We had let our NRA membership lapse and rejoined for free. Yesterday, my fiance went to pick up his prescription (we are uninsured) and it was regularly 37.00 and he got it for 10.00, using his NRA membership card. He wanted me to let people here know about the discounted prescriptions. :)
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