Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson are among a crowd of U.S. mayors now calling on President Obama and the Congress to back California U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s renewed efforts toward tougher gun laws in the wake of the Connecticut school massacre.
The mayors, in conjunction with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, sent an open letter Monday to Obama and legislators in the wake of Friday’s horrific Newtown, Conn. shooting. The appeal said that it’s not only time for a tough look at tough gun laws, but also “a reversal of the culture of violence in this country, a commission
to examine violence in the nation, and more adequate funding for the mental health system.”
Joe Tuman, the SFSU communications department chair and former Oakland mayoral candidate, told us Monday that — after years of unanswered calls for such reforms from Congress — it will now be the responsibility of local officials on the front lines to keep up the political pressure.
While Tuman lauds Feinstein’s efforts, he also registers profound frustration with the situation in cities like Oakland, where he says he’s watched a parade of young victims succumb to gun violence.
“We’ve had 121 murders in Oakland this year alone. That doesn’t even include the number of people who have been shot but not killed, or threatened with guns in muggings or assaults. Where is the outrage here?,” he wrote in a Facebook blog this week. “I think it is great that Senator Feinstein is willing to revisit the assault weapon ban—but honestly, where has she been for the past year while violent crime in cities like Oakland surged?”
“Why does it take a national news story to get people in Washington to pay attention to what’s happening at home every day?”
Tuman told us that Feinstein, a centrist Democrat whose political career was shaped by gun violence — the City Hall assasination of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk — is well-positioned to push the matter.
But it will take local officials to stay tough, keep up the heat — and get Congress and the White House to finally act, he said.
Looks like the U.S. mayors are now resolved to push the matter in hopes that the the issues doesn’t go away this time.
Here’s excerpts from their letter released today:
“Again and again and again, Americans are stunned by senseless acts of violence involving guns. Friday’s
tragedy targeting young children in Newtown is incomprehensible. Too many times this year, mayors have
expressed shock at a mass shooting. Even more frequently, many of us must cope with the gun violence that
occurs on the streets of our cities. …
“The Conference has been calling for sensible gun laws to protect the public for more than 40 years. Mayors
and police chiefs from cities of all sizes have worked together in this effort over the years.
“We urge you to take immediate action: the President to exercise his powers though Executive Order and
Congress to introduce and pass legislation to make reasonable changes in our gun laws and regulations.
Specifically we call on you to:
• Enact legislation to ban assault weapons and other high-capacity magazines being prepared by Senator
Dianne Feinstein and others;
• Strengthen the national background check system and eliminate loopholes in it; and
• Strengthen the penalties for straw purchases of guns. …
“We believe that with this latest national tragedy and the high incidence of gun violence that continues to
plague our streets, we have reached a tipping point. The nation’s mayors pledge to work with you to build a
safer America for our children and all of our citizens.”