I n an effort to combat the senseless gun violence that claims approximately 34 American lives every day, Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner has joined Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a national bipartisan coalition of more than 800 mayors. These leaders are committed to protecting their communities by keeping illegal guns and military-style weapons off streets and out of schools.
Since its inception in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 mayors to more than 800 across the country. The coalition also has more than 700,000 grassroots supporters, making it the largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization in the country. The group’s co-chairs are New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.
M e m b e r s i n c l u d e D e m o c r a t s , Republicans and Independents in big cities and small towns from various states across the nation. While their backgrounds may differ, on this issue they stand together and speak with one voice – united for the sake of public safety. They understand that support for Second Amendment rights goes hand-in-hand with the kind of common-sense gun policies that carry broad public support, even among gun owners.
“After the tragedy of Newtown, it is clear we must do something,” said Mayor Lerner.
Mayor Lerner and her fellow coalition members say they will not stand by idly and they have called on Washington to take meaningful action to address the issue of gun violence in America. They say they will continue to call for action until progress is made, including:
• Requiring every gun buyer to pass a criminal background check.
• Getting military-style weapons and highcapacity ammunition magazines off our streets. • Making gun trafficking a federal crime. Mayor Lerner also urged her colleagues, constituents and violence prevention advocates to sign the petition at www.DemandAPlan.org, where the coalition has launched an online video campaign featuring testimonials from gun violence survivors and family members of victims.
