Dec 9, 2007 4:00 pm US/Eastern
Mayors Group Sends Gun Survey To Candidates
Coalition Co-Founded By Bloomberg
NEW YORK (AP) ―
A coalition of mayors against illegal guns, an organization co-founded by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has sent a survey on the subject to all the presidential candidates.
"Members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns are committed to both respecting the rights of gun owners while cracking down on illegal guns," Bloomberg said in a statement released Sunday.
"Americans deserve to hear if those who want to be president of the United States will do the same. I hope this questionnaire puts illegal guns, and criminals' easy access to them, in a prominent position in our national conversation."
The coalition, founded last year by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Bloomberg, said it would not endorse a candidate for president but would publicize the questionnaire responses on its Web site. It now counts more than 250 mayors across the country as members.
"Illegal gun violence is an epidemic sweeping across this country and, as mayors, our top priority is to protect residents," said Menino. "We all have a responsibility to effect change and close the loopholes to prevent the sale of illegal guns and we need strong national partners who can make urban violence a part of the national agenda."
Survey questions include "Do you support increasing the maximum penalty for illegal firearms possession from 10 years to 15 years?" and "Do you believe that gun dealers whose licenses have been revoked for selling guns illegally should be allowed to continue selling guns in their inventory without doing background checks?"
The coalition has asked candidates to respond by Jan. 2. Bloomberg, under near-constant speculation that he will run for president despite his denials, has made gun control one of his issues, earning him the enmity of groups like the NRA.
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