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Home > Leadership > Mayor > Archive Press Releases > 2006 Archives > April 2006 > MAYOR BROWN TO JOIN MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND BOSTON MAYOR MENINO FOR FIRST NATIO

MAYOR BROWN TO JOIN MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND BOSTON MAYOR MENINO FOR FIRST NATIONAL SUMMIT ON ILLEGAL GUN


Source/Contact
Office of the Mayor
Peter K. Culter
Director of Communications
716-851-4841

Gun Summit Will Bring Together Over a Dozen Mayors from Around the Country to Share Cutting-Edge Policing and Legal Strategies and Launch a Coordinated Coalition to Combat Illegal Guns and Gun Crime

BUFFALO – Mayor Byron Brown today will travel to New York City for a National Summit on Illegal Guns hosted by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

The Gun Summit – to be held at Gracie Mansion in New York City on Tuesday, April 25th  – will bring together more than a dozen mayors from around the country. The mayors will share the challenges they face in combating gun crime, discuss cutting-edge policing and legal strategies and identify opportunities for greater coordination in combating the flow of illegal guns among states.

"Regrettably, we have seen too graphically the impact of guns and crime in our city," said Mayor Brown.  "While our Buffalo Police Department has recently conducted swift and successful investigations on gun-related violent crime, we must continue to do more and search for ways to eliminate illegal guns from the streets of Buffalo.  I look forward to meeting with mayors from across the United States to discuss methods for curbing the spread of illegal guns in our cities and for providing greater safeguards for the majority of our law-abiding citizens."

"Combating gun violence is not a partisan issue," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Illegal guns are hurting innocent people across America, whether you are east or west of the Mississippi or north or south of the Mason Dixon line. Illegal guns know no borders. Gun crime is national problem that requires a national approach and no city can solve the problem acting alone. That's why we're teaming up to take on illegal guns and crack down on those who possess and sell them more aggressively than ever before. It's not a question of ideologies. It's about fighting crime and keeping illegal guns out of the hands of violent criminals."

"There is a crisis on the streets of our nation and in so many urban areas across the country. Guns are too easy to get and young people are using them with no regard for the consequences, even if it means taking a person's life," said Mayor Menino. "We all know that turning around this kind of violence takes more than a police response. That's why I've been working so hard in Boston. I'm proud to join leaders from our nation's cities to come together, share ideas, and more importantly, to commit to working collaboratively to stop this epidemic and make our streets safer."

This first-ever Gun Summit will be a daylong event in New York City beginning with a morning symposium outlining best practices from cities across the country followed by a panel of the nation's leading experts on gun crimes. The mayors will also discuss state and federal legislation and litigation efforts and identify specific issue areas where they can collaborate. Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly will also make a presentation to the group.

In addition to Mayors Bloomberg and Menino, the following mayors will be attending the Summit:

• Mayor Laura Miller, Dallas, Texas
• Mayor John Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Mayor Anthony Williams, Washington, DC
• Mayor Greg Nickels, Seattle, Washington
• Mayor Frank Melton, Jackson, Mississippi
• Mayor David Cicilline, Providence, Rhode Island
• Mayor Eddie Perez, Hartford, Connecticut
• Mayor Douglas Palmer, Trenton, New Jersey
• Mayor Jerramiah Healy, Jersey City, New Jersey
• Mayor Byron Brown, Buffalo, New York
• Mayor Robert Duffy, Rochester, New York


The goal of the Summit is to create a unified coalition of major American cities dedicated to working together on the issue of gun violence and illegal gun trafficking, sharing their own successful initiatives and identifying areas where they can work collaboratively. 

Mayor Brown recently initiated the City of Buffalo's Zero Tolerance Law Enforcement plan targeting quality of life crimes, as well as creating a Narcotics/Homicide Tip Line (847-2255) and reactivated the Cold Case Unit.  In addition, Mayor Brown authorized police overtime for investigators working on recent crimes, including the homicides of George Pitliangas and Sister Karen Klimczak, which was credited for the swift apprehension of suspects in each case.


NOTE: Mayor Brown is scheduled to depart Buffalo today for New York City at 7:20 p.m. on JetBlue Flight 5, which will arrive at JFK International Airport at 8:40 p.m.

Mayor Brown will depart New York City tomorrow, April 25th at 10:40 p.m. on JetBlue Flight 112 and arrive in Buffalo at 11:59 p.m.