Posted on 03/28/2007 2:41:14 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007
Thank you. Good morning. It is a pleasure to join all of you here today for the Citizens Crime Commission's breakfast.
A couple of weeks ago, all New Yorkers and people throughout the world were appalled by the senseless and horrifying act of violence that occurred at the Empire State Building.
The Empire State Building is such an important landmark... such an important symbol of America that, like so many other places in New York City, when a tragedy happens there, it receives a great deal of attention in the media.
However, with this latest incident, we saw something rather remarkable happen, because perceptions about New York City have finally changed.
Thanks to our historic reductions in serious crime, we have been able to get the message out that New York City is just about the safest large city in America.
People throughout the world no longer see New York City as a national symbol of the plague of crime and violence. Now people see New York as a safe, decent place, and as a leader in fighting crime.
Because of this transformation of perception, when this latest tragedy occurred, instead of having to defend New York City, we were able to focus national attention on the real problem, which is gun control.
And even as we grieve for those who lost their lives, and our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones, we may be able to find some sort of meaning in this tragedy by using it as a catalyst to revive national gun control efforts.
The man who committed this despicable act of hatred and violence came to the United States on December 24th. First, he arrived in New York and then traveled to Melbourne, Florida, where he checked into a cheap hotel.
Using the hotel address, he was able to obtain a photo ID card, and that was all he needed to buy a gun, a .380 Beretta, capable of firing 14 rounds in 4 or 5 seconds.
Because in Florida, although they have relatively strict regulations to obtain a gun license, gun licenses are only necessary for carrying concealed weapons. A license is not required to buy a gun. To buy a gun all that is required is a photo ID.
And that is when buying from a retailer. In private transactions at gun shows, or purchasing a gun from a private individual, there is nothing required whatsoever.
Ironically, if Mr. Hassan Kamal had wanted to buy a car, or even drive a car legally, he would not have been able to, because in Florida obtaining a drivers license is much more difficult than buying a gun.
In fact, getting a drivers license is more difficult than buying a gun in most places. A drivers license requires several forms of official identification proving residency.
It requires a written test and a road test, and a thorough background investigation is done to determine if the applicant has a history of driving recklessly, or unlawfully.
And these drivers license requirements are fairly uniform from state to state, which demonstrates that from region to region, a vast majority of Americans accept that driving an automobile is potentially very dangerous and requires sensible regulations.
However, guns kill many more people than automobiles do, even though there are many more cars than guns, and cars are used much more often than guns.
In New York City, in 1996 there were 414 fatalities caused by traffic accidents, but there were 987 fatalities involving firearms.
I think one of the reasons that the procedures for obtaining a drivers license and buying and operating a car have become uniform and sensible is that insurance is required for automobiles.
And the insurance industry has standardized what is necessary to get insurance. Cars must be registered and trackable.
Cars are required to undergo periodic safety inspections in many states. Driving records are computerized and traceable, and drivers licenses must be periodically renewed.
Perhaps, we should require insurance for handguns. If liability insurance were required to purchase and own a handgun, you better believe that the insurance industry would promulgate a pretty rigorous licensing and purchasing process to control the risk.
As a private citizen, as a prosecutor, as a Mayoral candidate and as Mayor, I have advocated for more regulated and more uniform gun licensing regulations, similar to those for a drivers license.
But as it stands now, although some localities like New York City have relatively stringent rules for purchasing a gun, many other states require next to nothing, and without a uniform policy, we all lose.
In fact, a recently released study indicates that of 2,225 guns confiscated in New York City, more than 92 percent of the guns were originally purchased out of state--and more than 60 percent of them came from 5 states, Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.
When looking at the FBI total index crimes list, which shows number of crimes on a per capita basis for cities with population more than 100,000, it is not a coincidence that 4 (t.b.v.) of the top 10 are in Florida, and 6 (t.b.v.) are in the South, where gun control laws are very lax.
New York City on the contrary, where the requirements for purchasing a gun are more rigorous, ranks 144th on that list.
Yesterday, President Clinton outlined his proposals for more stringent, federal gun licensing requirements.
His proposals include:
I applaud the President's proposals, and I will support them any way I can.
I only hope that he is right, and that Congress is finally ready to recognize that the vast majority of Americans want more gun control. It makes sense. It is time. And we can no longer let special interests dominate this vitally important issue.
We in New York and other places are working very hard to control crime and especially to reduce criminal incidents involving guns.
Here in New York, we have seen more than a 50 percent decrease in shootings since 1993, but to complete the job we've started, we need the help of other states, and of the Federal Government to promulgate more rigorous gun purchasing requirements nation wide.
Then we won't have 90 percent of our city's guns being brought in from other localities to commit heinous crimes like the tragedy on the Empire State Building.
I know many people argue that keeping and bearing arms is federally guaranteed right as stated in the Second Amendment of the Constitution.
But even in the Second Amendment, it refers to firearms in the context of a well regulated militia, and well regulated is what we're trying to accomplish.
Just as unimpeded interstate travel is Constitutionally guaranteed, but we reserve the right to regulate driving automobiles, so too must we sensibly regulate gun purchases to preserve the safety of all Americans.
Thank you.
Chilling.
Rudy ping.
If you truly think your candidate is worth supporting, then at least have the convinction to come here and try and defend him, or at least refute the information within (if you can).
Ping your list while you're at it.
2nd Amendment ping.
One more reason why gun-owners should be afraid of Giuliani.
Gun owners, like everyone else, should be afraid of Islamofascists.
Ping-a-ling.
We have illegal immigrants coming over every day. We have no idea how many of them may be terrorists.
I don't care, but I will not support someone who has a record of gun-control like Rudy's. I'm sorry.
If the Islamofascists try to pull off what they pulled in France, the deciding factor will be armed citizens.
How will disarming me, via Rudy's idiotic gun grabber policies, make us one iota safer?
Didn't say it would.
Maybe this is hard for you to understand, but there is much more to defeating the Islamofascists than shooting them down when they take a hostage or whatever. I'm all for that, but it's only a small faction of what's needed.
This gun owner and millions like me will never vote for Rudy. Rudy is a deal breaker.
The difference is, us gun owners will be out front protecting you cowering sissies.
Why not stick with a pro-RKBA/Pro-WoT candidate like... well.. all the others? Hunter and Thompson for example.
Every law abiding citizen on those 9-11 planes were by law disarmed. How did this help prevent 9-11?
You have a certain amount of cognitive dissonance going on...
Rudy and McKook are absolute no-gos with me.
Rudy`s great Grandfather`s second best friend`s uncle hated guns and tried to repeal the 2nd amendment, somebody told my sister!
I meant that I'm all for people being armed and stopping terrorists in those situations where they can.
Yes, I heard that too. And if I've heard it, you know that some of our knuckle-draggers have.
Hilarious.
Never mind the fact that these are Giuliani's own words.
Don't call people sissies just because you disagree with them. And how do you know I'm not a gun owner? And why are non-gun owners sissies?
Your tough talk and alleged Vietnam record is no substitute for brains. Or decency. Or character.
"Ironically, if Mr. Hassan Kamal had wanted to buy a car, or even drive a car legally, he would not have been able to, because in Florida obtaining a drivers license is much more difficult than buying a gun."
The 2nd Amendment covers Guns and Cars?
Or maybe just guns?
I'm sooo tired of Rudy.
To me, he's just a prettier version of Hillary.
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