Mayors from Across the Country have Signed on to the Letter from Cities Including, New York City, Cleveland, Highland Park, Monterey Park, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Seattle
NEW YORK — Today, more than 50 mayors from across the country, including members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, sent a letter urging Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to take action and ban assault weapons following the deadly mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine. The tragedy in Maine took the lives of 18 people and wounded and 13 others after a gunman, armed with one of these weapons of war, opened fire in Lewiston while people were bowling and enjoying a meal. Everytown for Gun Safety released the following statements applauding these mayors for continuing to lead on gun safety:
“Mayors are on the frontlines of America’s gun violence crisis, but they can’t keep their communities safe alone — Speaker Johnson and our representatives in Congress also have a key role to play,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “As the mass shooting in Lewiston demonstrated, flooding our streets with weapons of war can only lead to tragedy, which is why Congress must reinstate the bipartisan assault weapons ban.”
“As we saw with the passage of last year’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Congress can and must play a key role in preventing gun violence,” said Monisha Henley, SVP of Government Affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety. “We commend this group of gun sense mayors for putting pressure on Congress to take this next step to protect their communities, and Everytown proudly joins them in calling on Speaker Johnson to reinstate a bipartisan assault weapons ban.”
“In some states in this country, it’s easier to buy a weapon of war than it is to buy a Sudafed,” said New York City Mayor and Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chair Eric Adams. “As a result, we can’t feel safe in the places where we should feel safest – our movie theaters, our music festivals, our houses of worship, and most guttingly, our schools. Just a few weeks ago, 18 Mainers were stolen from us by yet another disturbed man, wielding an assault rifle that has no business on our streets. And no matter how strong some state gun laws are, we’re only as safe as the weakest link. We will continue to work tirelessly in New York City and cities across the nation to drive shootings down and prevent every form of gun violence – whether it’s the mass shootings that make the headlines or the daily gun violence and gun suicides that don’t. But we need our partners in Washington to do their part. That’s why we’re coming together to let Speaker Johnson know that we need a federal ban on assault weapons.”
“It is indefensible that lawmakers are failing to address the deadliest mass shooting in our country this year, which was all the more devastating due to the use of an assault weapon,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action. “There is no justification for military-style weapons to be present in our neighborhoods. I’m grateful for the mayors across the nation who are taking a stand and urging Congress to adopt one of the most crucial solutions to prevent these avoidable tragedies.”
The letter can be found here, and an excerpt below:
“Of the 10 deadliest mass shootings that have taken place since 2015, eight involved an assault weapon. There is a reason mass shooters choose to use assault weapons, time and again, to commit mass shootings: assault weapons are military-style firearms designed to shoot and kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible. The tragedy in Lewiston is no different: this shooting was able to turn as deadly as it was because the shooter had access to an assault weapon. Research shows that mass shooting deaths were 70 percent less likely to occur when the federal prohibition on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was in effect. Some of our states have strong gun laws – including laws that prohibit assault weapons. But without strong, national legislation, it’s far too easy for someone to go to a state with worse gun laws and bring death and destruction back home.
Mayors across this country are the first ones called when a shooting happens in our city – whether one person is shot or dozens are – and we cannot leave when the cameras do. We will always put the safety of our communities first, and as gun violence continues to terrorize every corner of this country, we are asking you to do the same. Our communities were never meant to be war zones. But with unfettered access to assault weapons on our streets, that is what so many have become with all the same bloodshed and carnage. As we continue to work in our cities to prevent gun violence and protect our constituents, we need Congress to do the same. Congress must act to get weapons of war off our streets.”