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BALTIMORE, MD. (April 12, 2012) – Today, at a brief meeting at Baltimore’s City Hall, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg discussed their shared priority of reducing illegal gun trafficking up and down the I-95 corridor. The Mayors, both strong advocates against illegal guns, discussed ways to increase multi-jurisdictional collaboration to reduce the flow of illegal guns into America’s big cities.
Baltimore City and New York City have experienced dramatic reductions in homicides and shootings by targeting violent criminals and illegal guns. Both cities have implemented Gun Offender Registries and have successfully advocated for tougher penalties for gun offenders.
However, nationwide last year, 72 Police officers were killed by perpetrators—a 25 percent increase from the previous year, according to data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Mayor Bloomberg agreed that this alarming national trend points to the need for an even stronger focus on illegal guns and gun trafficking, particularly along the I-95 corridor.
“It is an honor to welcome Mayor Bloomberg to City Hall and to have an opportunity to speak with him about how we can further reduce violent crime in our cities by increasing multi-jurisdictional collaboration,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “Over half of crime guns recovered in Maryland come from other states, and the vast majority of the guns used in crimes in Baltimore are not purchased at gun stores in Baltimore City. In fact, Baltimore City has only one legal gun dealer.”
“One of the reasons Mayors Against Illegal has become a force in combating the NRA and advocating for common-sense policies to keep guns always from criminals and dangerous people is because we have Mayors like Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who understand the issue and are willing to fight to protect their communities,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “New York City and Baltimore both see the same problem – we are doing all we can locally and we’ve been successful, but illegal weapons that come from outside our cites are still pouring onto our streets. We are going to continue to make the case in Washington for sensible solutions that protect the rights of legal own gun owners while keeping weapons away from those who have no business possessing a gun – policies 80 percent of even gun owners support.”
“Gun violence is a local, regional, and national problem,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake continued. “We must work together to take our gun strategy to the next level. I am grateful to Mayor Bloomberg for his leadership on this issue, and I look forward to working with him to continue making progress reducing gun violence.”
Mayor Bloomberg met with Mayor Rawlings-Blake before attending the dedication of the Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
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