Statement from Mayors Against Illegal Guns

from the national Mayors Against Illegal Guns organization:

Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chair and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was joined today by survivors and family members of victims of gun violence to release personal videos demanding that elected officials in Washington D.C. take immediate action to reduce gun violence in America. The videos can be viewed at www.DemandAPlan.org

 

The videos tell the stories of 34 Americans whose lives have been forever changed – whether in mass shootings in Aurora, Oak Creek, Tucson and Virginia Tech or in the daily gun violence that kills 34 Americans every day. The diverse voices hail from urban and suburban areas across the country, young and old, of different races and religious backgrounds. Every story is different, but all survivors are united in their belief that something must be done to prevent more tragedies like the one in Newtown, Connecticut and like the tragedy they personally experienced.

 

“What happened in Newtown was an unspeakable crime – a mass murder in which six- and seven-year-old children were gunned down in their classrooms, along with their elementary school teachers and administrators,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Gun violence is a national epidemic – and a national tragedy – that demands more than words. It demands immediate national action, from the President and from Congress.  It needs to be at the top of their agenda.”

 

“There are too many stories of those who have lost loved ones to gun violence – and far too many were added from Newtown just days ago,” Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chair and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said. “To honor those we’ve lost, we must continue to demand a plan from lawmakers that will keep gun violence from taking more lives.”

 

When the 113^th Congress convenes in January 2013, the videos will be delivered to members to prompt leaders in Washington to pass common sense legislation to reduce gun violence.