New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired off a letter asking Attorney General Loretta Lynch to crack down on the few gun dealers who supply most of the guns used in crime.
Of the crimes committed with guns, close to 90% of the guns used have been traced back to 5% of the gun dealers in the USA. The same dealers, again and again, give the tools for criminals to murder. The letter sent by the mayors asks that there be a concerted effort to either reform or close down the “bad apple” gun dealers.
In this call to action, the mayors are joining in with the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence and the forty one leaders of Hispanic, Black and Asian Pacific Caucuses who have been demanding just such measures from the Attorney General and the ATF. Dan Gross, President of the Brady Campaign stressed, “The Justice Department needs to do its job and stop these bad apple gun dealers that are devastating our communities.”
Mayor Garcetti said, “There is no excuse to allow these ‘bad apple’ dealers to fly under the radar. It is well within the scope of the Justice Department’s authority to either enforce the law or shut down dealers who continuously and irresponsibly fail to follow it. “
Mayor de Blasio also feels the function of shutting down the “bad apple” gun dealers should be that of the Justice Department. Yet, he feels NY can offer much in terms of cooperation, saying “we are proud to announce the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice is already deeply involved in tracking the supply lines of illegal guns to criminals in New York City.”
The mayors and the Brady Campaign hope more mayors across the country will join in the call to action and are adamant that a new method of operation has to be put into place to stop bad gun dealers from keeping violence on the streets. As such, they are hoping an enforceable code of conduct be demanded from all gun dealers across the nation.
Source: Bad Gun Dealers Should be Loretta Lynch Focus say Three Mayors
