New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, thanked President Obama and Vice President Biden for their gun control proposals in a statement Wednesday:
“For years now, mayors in both parties have been urging Washington to act, and over the past month, our voices grew louder as our coalition grew larger. More than 100 mayors have joined our bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, bringing our total to more than 800 mayors from around the country. And more than one million Americans have signed our petition to Demand a Plan from the President and Congress. Today, it’s clear that the President and Vice-President heard us, and I want to thank them for listening. The legislative and executive actions the President endorsed today reflect our coalition’s top priorities, and we look forward to working with Congress to pass common sense legislation that will make our communities safer – for our families, our children, and our police officers.”
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, also a co-chair of the gun control group, said in a statement of his own:
“In nearly 20 years as Boston’s mayor, I have watched with frustration as our government has been bullied by special interests and ignored its duty to protect our citizens from gun violence. At long last, President Obama’s historic proposal brings Washington in line with the needs of our nation, our families – and, most importantly, our children and grandchildren, who look to us believing that our streets and schools, playgrounds and movie theaters, should be places of safety and joy, not conflict and mass murder. I applaud President Obama and Vice President Biden for their leadership and courage on this issue and encourage Congress to move forward with urgency. For the sake of the 33 American lives lost every day, for the sake of Newtown and too many American communities to list, it is time for a new day.”
