Adobe Acrobat Reader (required to view PDFs)	Mayors Oppose Concealed Carry Reciprocity Mandate Mayors oppose pending legislation in Congress that would allow Trayvon Martin's killer to carry hidden, loaded guns nationwide. Read the letter Coalition Co-Chairs Urge the U.S. Senate to Reject Bills That Would Override State Laws on Concealed, Loaded Guns March 15, 2011 - New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino join the more than 625 mayors, police officers, prosecutors and domestic violence experts who oppose legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate that would gut state rules for who can carry a concealed, loaded gun in public. Read the Statement Coalition Co-Chairs Star in Super Bowl Ad Promoting Common Sense Reforms to Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Criminals February 2, 2012 - This Sunday, during Super Bowl XLVI, Patriots fan and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Giants fan and New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will appear in a new television advertisement promoting common sense reforms to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Watch the TV advertisement Learn more about common sense ways to fix the gun background check system at www.FixGunChecks.org Follow Mayors Against Illegal Guns on Facebook and Twitter. Fix Gun Checks: Delete Online Outlaws Urges Websites to Crack Down on Illegal Gun Sales December 14, 2011 - In response to a new investigation by the City of New York that exposed the vast, unregulated online market for illegal guns, Mayors Against Illegal Guns launched a grassroots effort to crack down on illegal online gun sales. The investigation found that 62% of sellers were willing to sell to individuals who said they couldn’t pass a criminal background check. The coalition is urging Congress to take action to require a background check on all gun sales, and for websites to take simple steps to stop illegal sales: requiring sellers to register with the site before listing guns for sale online; requiring buyers to register with the site before contacting gun sellers; providing a simple mechanism to flag suspicious behavior; and auditing their own sites - as many sites are already doing. Learn more Read the coalition press release about the investigation New Coalition Report Shows State and Federal Failures Undermine Background Check System and Allow Substance Abusers and the Mentally Ill to Buy Guns November 14, 2011 - New Mayors Against Illegal Guns report reveals data showing that states and federal agencies fail to send millions of records to the federal firearms background check system, enabling substance abusers, the mentally ill and other dangerous individuals to pass background checks and purchase firearms. Download the report (in PDF) Read the press release Mayors Oppose Concealed Gun Mandate in New Ad October 20, 2011 - Mayors Against Illegal Guns placed a full-page ad in USA Today calling on the U.S. Senate to reject an effort to strip state authority to decide who can carry concealed, loaded guns in public. This federal mandate would threaten the safety of our communities by putting loaded guns in the hands of people who are too dangerous to qualify for a local permit. See the USA Today Advertisement (in PDF) Join Our Campaign at OurLivesOurLaws.org Read the Press Release Coalition Launches Campaign Against National Concealed Carry Reciprocity September 12, 2011 – A coalition of more than 600 mayors has launched a campaign to defend the rights of states to decide who can carry concealed, loaded guns. The campaign website, OurLivesOurLaws.org, highlights the broad opposition to the National Right-to-Carry Act (H.R.822) from law enforcement, faith leaders, domestic violence groups, and the more than 45,000 Americans who have signed the Our Lives, Our Laws petition. A new poll, also released today, shows that voters overwhelmingly oppose Congressional efforts to override state concealed carry laws. Read the Press Release Download the Poll Results (in PDF) Download the Fact Sheet for H.R. 822 (in PDF) Sign the Petition at OurLivesOurLaws.org Obama Administration Adopts Coalition Recommendation to Combat Illegal Gun Trafficking to Mexico The co-chairs of Mayors Against Illegal Guns applauded the Obama Administration's implementation of a new policy that will help curb illegal gun trafficking to Mexico. The program requires gun dealers in border states to report bulk sales of the type of semi-automatic rifles preferred by Mexican drug cartels.  A similar nationwide requirement for bulk handgun sales has already been in place for years. The new program is modeled on a proposal first made by Mayors Against Illegal Guns in August 2009 in its Blueprint for Federal Action on Illegal Guns.  Read the Federal Register Notice Announcing New Long Gun Reporting Requirement (in PDF) Download the Blueprint for Federal Action of Illegal Guns (in PDF) View the Announcement from the Department of Justice Read the Statement from the Coalition Co-chairs on the Implementation of the New Program Coalition Calls on President Obama to Strengthen and Better Enforce Gun Laws On the six-month anniversary of the tragic shooting in Tucson, Mayors Against Illegal Guns issued a letter calling on President Obama to prevent criminals, terrorists, and other dangerous people from obtaining illegal guns. The coalition members offered four concrete steps the administration could take without Congressional action to better enforce existing gun laws, reminding the President that over 6,100 Americans have died from gun violence since the Tucson shooting. Read the Letter to President Obama Mayors Urge Repeal of Restrictions that Impede Investigation of "Fast & Furious" Mayors Michael R. Bloomberg and Thomas M. Menino, coalition co-chairs, called on Congressional leaders to repeal the Tiahrt restrictions that are blocking Congressional oversight of the ATF's controversial "Operation Fast & Furious." ATF allegedly allowed guns to be illegally trafficked to Mexico, possibly putting law enforcement officers in danger. The Tiahrt Amendments prohibit ATF from sharing crime gun trace data. As a result, Congress has been forced to request trace data connected to the Fast & Furious investigation from the Mexican Government. Read the Letter to Congressional Leaders Mayors Launch TV Ad Addressing Al Qaeda Gun Plot A coalition of more than 600 mayors has launched a national TV ad campaign calling attention to a recent Al Qaeda propaganda video that urges the terrorist group’s followers to exploit loopholes to purchase firearms without background checks. The mayors’ ad is running on national cable news programs this week. It urges Congress to pass the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011 and the Denying Firearms to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2011, bills pending that would close the loopholes Al Qaeda publicized. Watch the "What Are You Waiting For?" Ad Read the Press Release Announcing the Ad Read the Mayor's Statement Responding to the Al Qaeda Propaganda Video House Leaders Force Vote on Terror Gap May 12 2011 - Today, members of the House Judiciary Committee forced a vote on an amendment that would have closed the "Terror Gap" – a flaw in our national security infrastructure that has allowed more than 1300 terror suspects to buy guns and explosives since 2004. The amendment would have given the Attorney General the discretion to block the sale of firearms and explosives to terror suspects on a case-by-case basis. The Coalition strongly supports bipartisan legislation to close this deadly loophole. Read the Coalition’s Letter to Congress Supporting the Terror Gap Amendment (in PDF) View a Recent Report from the GAO on the Attempts of Suspected Terrorists to Purchase Guns (in PDF) Download an Issue Brief on the Terror Gap (in PDF) Learn more about the Terror Gap Read the Press Release The Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011 is Introduced in the House of Representatives May 6, 2011 - Yesterday members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011 (H.R.1781). This legislation will close gaps in the national gun background system that have enabled criminals and other dangerous people – including Tucson shooter Jared Loughner – to easily obtain firearms.  The bill was introduced by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and more than two dozen other members, including Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers and Crime Subcommittee Ranking Member Bobby Scott.  Senator Chuck Schumer introduced similar legislation in February.  The Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011 achieves the goal President Obama set after the Tucson mass shooting, a gun background check system that is "instant, accurate, and comprehensive." Read the Press Release Announcing the House Bill Following President Obama's Call, Tucson Shooting Victims' Families Endorse Plan to Fix U.S. Gun Background Check System March 28, 2011 - Arizona families, civic leaders and elected officials today gathered to endorse legislation based on the Mayors’ plan to fix the gun background check system. The press conference, in Tucson, brought together victims of the mass shooting on January 8th that killed 6 people and injured 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Attendees included Ross Zimmerman, the father of Gabe Zimmerman, Rep. Giffords’ staff member who was killed in the shooting; James Fuller; Randy Gardner; Patricia Maisch, who prevented the shooter from reloading; Dr. Peter Rhee, chief of trauma at University Medical Center; and others. The event comes just two weeks after President Obama signaled his support for fixing background checks. Read the Press Release Key Members of Congress Join Mayor Bloomberg in Announcing House Version of the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011 March 15, 2011 - Mayor Michael Bloomberg today applauded President Obama for his recent statements in support of fixing the gun background check system and closing the loopholes that enable criminals to avoid these checks; the President expressed his support in a March 13 letter written to the Arizona Daily Star. During the press conference in Washington D.C., Mayor Bloomberg was joined by New York Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, who will introduce the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011 in the U.S. House, other key House members from across the country. Read the Press Release About Today's Announcement President Obama Expresses Support for Fixing Background Checks March 14, 2011 - In a letter to a Tucson newspaper yesterday, President Obama announced his support for an improved system to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. The President called for an "instant, accurate, and comprehensive" background check for gun sales, stressing that dangerous individuals should not be able to avoid the background check requirement altogether. His comments add to the growing momentum behind the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Fix Gun Checks campaign, which polls show also has the support of an overwhelming majority of Americans-including gun owners. See President Obama's Letter to the Arizona Daily Star Read the Statement from the Coalition's Co-Chairs in Response to President Obama's Statements (in PDF) New Polls in Five Bellwether States Show Overwhelming Support to Fix Gun Background Check System March 2, 2011 - Mayors Against Illegal Guns today announced the results of five state polls showing that large majorities of the public - including gun owners - in five key states support closing the loopholes in the national gun background check system that now give dangerous people easy access to firearms. Read the Press Release View the Poll Results (in PDF) See the Poll Questionnaire (in PDF) February 23, 2011 - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced new legislation to get all records of criminals, drug abusers, and the mentally ill, who are already prohibited by law from buying guns, into the background check system, and also to require background checks for every gun sale. Read the Press Release Announcing the Senate Bill Read the Ohio Press Release View the Results of the Ohio Poll View the Coalition’s Film on the 34 Lives Lost Every Day  Mayors Launch National Drive to Fix Gun Checks February 16, 2011 - This morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared on Good Morning America to launch the National Drive to Fix Gun Checks and raise awareness of gun crime across the country. The Fix Gun Checks billboard truck started in Times Square and keeps a running toll of the numbers of the Americans murdered by guns since the tragic shooting in Tucson, Arizona. The National Drive will criss-cross at least 25 states to meet with mayors, law enforcement, faith leaders, victims of gun violence, sportsmen, and supporters over the next two months. Read the press release announcing the tour Learn more at www.fixgunchecks.org America’s Mayors, Kennedy, and King Families Call on President and Congress to Act January 25, 2011 – This morning, Mayors Against Illegal Guns joined with Martin Luther King, III and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in sending an open letter to President Obama and Members of Congress urging them to fix the nation's criminal background check system. The letter appeared as a full page ad in the January 25th edition of the Washingon Post.  Download the Print Ad (PDF) Take Action at www.fixgunchecks.org Read the Mayors’ Plan to Fix Gun Checks (PDF)  Coalition Urges President and Congress to Fix the Gun Background Check System January 24, 2011 - Today coalition co-chair Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg stood with Martin Luther King III and family members of gun violence victims to urge Congress to fulfill the intent of the historic 1968 gun law and fix the nation’s broken background check system.  In conjunction with the event, Mayors Against Illegal Guns launched a new website, www.fixgunchecks.org, to call on the President and Congress to fix the background check system by (1) getting all of the names of all prohibited purchasers into the background check system and (2) requiring background checks for all gun sales.  Learn more and take action at www.fixgunchecks.org Download the Mayors’ Plan to Fix Gun Checks (PDF)  Read the Press Release About Today's Event Read Older Posts
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