DAYS BEFORE NATIONAL SUMMIT, MAYORS AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS MEMBERSHIP GROWS TO OVER 300

Group Convenes National Summit on April 14

Mayors Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and Thomas M. Menino of Boston today welcomed 12 mayors from Massachusetts as the newest members of the bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Mayors from Amesbury, Cambridge, Easthampton, Fall River, Gardner, Lawrence, Lowell, Malden, Newburyport, Revere, Salem, and Weymouth recently signed the coalition's Statement of Principles. There are 309 mayors in the group. Representatives from 60 cities will attend the 2008 National Summit on Monday, April 14^th at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

“I am proud to welcome my fellow mayors in Massachusetts to the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition,” said Mayor Menino. “In less than two years, this national group of Mayors has grown over 20 times its original size. These mayors from Massachusetts put the coalition over 300 members and we continue to enlist new mayors each day.  I have worked closely with many of these mayors on local issues and I believe that their strong commitment to getting illegal guns off of our streets will make all of our communities safer.”

“Next Monday, when we convene our coalition's national summit, Mayor Menino and I will be happy to report to our members that there are now 300 mayors from around the country who are standing up against illegal guns and the carnage they cause in America's cities and towns,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “I applaud the 12 mayors from the Commonwealth who have signed our Statement of Principles and are enlisting in the fight to put in place common sense policies that will keep guns out of the hands of criminals.”

In April 2006, Mayor Bloomberg and Mayor Menino, along with 13 other Mayors from across the United States, launched the Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The initial group of mayors met in New York City at Gracie Mansion to discuss strategies for stopping the flow of illegal guns into America's cities and pledged their support to a statement of principles.

“I welcome the leadership of Mayor Tom Menino on this issue. I am pleased to join with him, as well as the other mayors across the Commonwealth, in ridding our neighborhoods of illegal firearms,” said Robert Correia, Mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts. “Too many families lose loved ones every single day because of this epidemic. The future safety and growth of our cities lies in our ability as mayors to work together by sharing best practices and developing common solutions. My participation in the coalition will supply Fall River with more creative tools that will aid us in making our city a safer place to live, work, and play.”

Over the last two years coalition members have held constructive local and regional meetings in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Jacksonville to discuss effective strategies for combating illegal guns. The coalition has worked year round to share state and local initiatives, share best practices, increase membership, and create new partnerships. The mayors have also supported a federal agenda to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and support law enforcement in this effort. 

Mayor Bloomberg and Westchester County, New York County Executive Andy Spano yesterday announced the formation of a new coalition of County Executives Against Illegal Guns. The new group, which has 15 members, will work closely with Mayors Against Illegal Guns and the bi-partisan coalition of State Legislators Against Illegal Guns on shared goals. The group has its own Statement of Principles, and will work at the county level to develop legislation and enforcement efforts to prevent guns from falling into the hands of criminals.

More information on the coalition can be found at www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org.