Local Pols Call for Action on Gun Control

– Allison Goldsberry

The latest mass shooting has been met with what has become a somewhat familiar response: shock, sadness, and continued inertia over gun control.

New York Times writer Nate Silver says the national conversation has shifted in its emphasis from gun control to gun rights. Silver argues public policy and the language used in the news media are framed more by the concept of gun rights and the Second Amendment rather than that of gun control.

“The polling evidence suggests that the public has gone from tending to back stricter gun control policies to a more ambiguous position in recent years. There may be some voters who think that the Constitution provides broad latitude to own and carry guns – even if the consequences can sometimes be tragic,” said Silver.

Silver’s observation seems to complement the widely held belief that the gun rights lobby has so much control over the political agenda that no politician will stand up to it for fear of losing an election.

Despite President Barack Obama’s vague call for action in his response to the Newtown, Connecticut shooting, some local politicians aren’t mincing words when it comes to their support for stricter gun control.

“How many more innocent people have to die senseless deaths until we enact stricter rules that address unfettered access to guns?” Said Democratic Congressman Edward Markey in a statement. “Thirty-four people are killed with guns every day in America. It past time for a national debate on gun control and solutions to ensure that this terrible trend in mass shootings finally comes to an end.”

Boston Mayor Tom Menino, a Democrat who co-chairs Mayors Against Illegal Guns with Republican New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, released the following statement:

“As a Mayor who has witnessed too many lives forever altered by gun violence, it is my responsibility to fight for action. Today’s tragedy reminds us that now is the time for action. Innocent children will now never attend a prom, never play in a big game, never step foot on a college campus. Now is the time for a national policy on guns that takes the loopholes out of the laws, the automatic weapons out of our neighborhoods and the tragedies like today out of our future.”

Mayor Bloomberg, a Medford native, was also outspoken in his support for more gun control. He criticized both the President and Congress for a lack of leadership on gun control.

“Not even kindergarteners learning their A,B,Cs are safe. We heard after Columbine that it was too soon to talk about gun laws. We heard it after Virginia Tech. After Tucson and Aurora and Oak Creek. And now we are hearing it again…President Obama rightly sent his heartfelt condolences to the families in Newtown. But the country needs him to send a bill to Congress to fix this problem. Calling for ‘meaningful action’ is not enough. We need immediate action. We have heard all the rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership – not from the White House and not from Congress. That must end today. This is a national tragedy and it demands a national response.”

Mayors Against Illegal Guns has started an online petition urging President Obama and Congress to take action on gun control. The petition claims that 48,000 Americans will be murdered by guns in Obama’s second term if nothing is done.