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Home > Leadership > Mayor > Archive Press Releases > 2007 Archives > January 2007 > MAYOR BROWN RETURNS FROM MAYORS AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS NATIONAL SUMMIT

MAYOR BROWN RETURNS FROM MAYORS AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS NATIONAL SUMMIT


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

Participating Mayors Share Best Practices; Agree on Federal Objectives
 
BUFFALO – Mayor Byron W. Brown today returned from a national summit of Mayors Against Illegal Guns that was held yesterday in Washington, DC.  The objective of this full-day event was for mayors to share ideas and strategies on this critical issue, as well as to share with the new Congress the coalition’s agenda to combat illegal guns.
 
Formed in April 2006, Mayor Brown is an original member of the coalition, which has grown to over 120 mayors from across the United States.
 
“I was pleased to join mayors from across the country to discuss the issues that are affecting our cities as a result of illegal gun trafficking and the use of illegal guns in criminal activities,” said Mayor Brown. “While this may be portrayed by some as an infringement on their Second Amendment rights, my fellow mayors are very clear on this matter – we are interested only in curtailing and ending the proliferation of illegal guns on our city streets; we are not trying to impose gun control measures or target law abiding citizens who possess firearms legally.”
 
Mayor Brown noted that a significant outcome of the one-day Summit is the coalition’s agreement that the so-called Tiahrt Amendment that has been attached since 2003 to annual Congressional appropriations bills must be halted by the Congress. In essence, the amendment, named for Kansas Congressman Todd Tiahrt, prevents the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from releasing what is known as “trace data.” Trace data is information on when, where and who has purchased firearms. The prohibition prevents local governments for revoking gun licenses or act against gun dealers who have engaged in illegal gun sales (e.g., straw purchases).
 
“Removing this amendment from Congressional spending bills will be a priority of our coalition,” said Mayor Brown. “We must enable our law enforcement agencies – at all levels – to revoke the licenses of any gun dealer that sells guns illegally. Statistics show that approximately 1% of all federally licensed gun dealers account for 60% of all illegal gun sales in the country. We must stop this activity.”

In the six months since the original summit of 15 mayors in April 2006, the coalition has grown to over 120 members, representing every region of the nation.  This is not an issue of ideology; it’s an issue of law enforcement.  That’s why the coalition includes Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.  Together, they have focused their energies on sharing cutting-edge policing and legal strategies and identifying opportunities for greater coordination in combating the flow of illegal guns.  The 2007 Summit in Washington was an opportunity for all members of the coalition to continue coordinating their local efforts against illegal guns, and to expand their efforts to enlist federal support.