Jul 22, 2009 6:12 am US/Eastern
Bloomberg Begs Senate: Defeat Gun Amendment
Controversial Bill Would Allow Permit Holders From Other States To Carry Concealed Weapons On Streets Of NYC
Sen. Schumer Joins Mayor's Cause, Vows To Beat Proposal Down
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A full court press was employed Tuesday by Sen. Charles Schumer, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and local politicians to defeat a U.S. Senate gun bill that would allow people from other states to carry concealed weapons on the streets of New York.
Alberto Yard and Linda Merritt walked down a Brooklyn street Tuesday discussing their shared pain. Both are parents of children slain by gun violence in this city.
"It's hard. It's hard and don't nobody understand because they haven't walked in our shoes," Merritt said.
The two held a press conference Tuesday to urge defeat of a gun amendment in the Senate that would allow people from other states with permits to carry concealed weapons to do the same here in New York -- even if the states have weaker criteria.
"They can't possibly think it would be the right thing to do to give someone with weak gun laws a chance to be able to carry a gun without having the proper background check," Yard said.
Opponents say the amendment has the possibility of increasing gun violence and putting more cops at risk.
"In Vermont you only need to be 16 years old and you can get a concealed carry permit," Schumer said. "Somebody from Vermont could come to New York with a backpack of guns, even if they were a member of the Crips or the Bloods, even if they had all kids of problems and our police officers could do virtually nothing."
Mayor Bloomberg and his Mayors Against Gun Violence group took out an ad urging the Senate to defeat the amendment. On a conference call with other mayors from across the country he said the move is particularly upsetting alcohol abusers and people with misdemeanor convictions could carry guns here.
"It would make it a lot easier for illegal gun traffickers to walk the streets of any city with multiple hand guns and that's particularly problematic," Bloomberg said.
The Senate will vote on the amendment Wednesday.
The Senate sponsor is trying to have the gun bill added as an amendment to a defense appropriations bill, which would then be difficult to defeat.
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