Posted on 04/07/2011 12:27:42 PM PDT by neverdem
Jacksonville mayoral candidates Mike Hogan and Alvin Brown are expected to agree on little leading up to next month's election, but both oppose the city's continued role in a national program Mayor John Peyton joined seeking a way to curb gun violence.
Hogan said he believes the Mayors Against Illegal Guns program is an attempt to rob people of their Second Amendment right to bear firearms rather than being anti-crime. His website calls it a "deceptively named national organization that often puts gun control over crime prevention" — a position reinforced by the National Rifle Association, which supports Hogan.
Brown, asked about the website reference, said he believed that anything accomplished by the program could be handled locally and saw no need to spend resources to continue in the program.
About 550 mayors are members of the program co-founded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2006 as a way to support legislation that targets illegal-gun possession.
The group convinced the federal government to begin releasing more trace information to police on guns used in crimes. They were unsuccessful in closing loopholes in gun show laws that allow people to buy guns from collectors without the same background checks required of licensed gun dealers.
Peyton joined the program while hosting the group's Florida conference in 2008.
He said he saw it as a way to look outward for ways to curb the city's high murder rate. A Times-Union study in 2007 found a third of those arrested in Duval County gun homicides were felons, prohibited by law from possessing firearms. But little was being done to track and curb the supply of those guns.
The city's role in the program has been minimal. An employee hired by the city with program funds to coordinate the city's role left the job after...
(Excerpt) Read more at jacksonville.com ...
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-04-06/story/alvin-brown-mike-hogan-agree-jacksonville-getting-out-illegal-guns
I linked the printer friendly page.
“Legislation that targets ILLEGAL gun possession.”
Of course, Bloomberg forgot to tell anyone that he believes ALL gun possession to be illegal. Unless of course the guns are possessed by his security detail.
Alvin Brown's Washington experience extensive, somewhat elusive (what exactly did he do at Nabisco?)
I’ve had a beat up old Makarov do that to me. The retaining lug above the trigger guard wasn’t up to the task anymore, and it flew right off during target practice. We all had a good chuckle at it, but looking back, I shouldn’t have been shooting that thing.
bfl
I just checked, no a single mayor in my state (WV) is a member. Sweet!
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