Bloomberg demands gun action from Obama and Romney
(CNN) – New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an outspoken advocate of stricter gun-control laws, said in a radio interview Friday the two candidates for president needed to take a firmer line in addressing gun violence.
Bloomberg's comments came as police and the FBI were investigating a deadly shooting in Colorado that left at least 12 people dead.
"Soothing words are nice, but maybe it's time that the two people who want to be president of the United States stand up and tell us what they are going to do about it, because this is obviously a problem across the country," Bloomberg said on WOR Radio's "The John Gambling Show."
Bloomberg continued, saying Friday's tragedy should spark greater focus on how guns reach killers.
"I mean, there are so many murders with guns every day, it's just got to stop," Bloomberg said. "And instead of the two people – President Obama and Governor Romney – talking in broad things about they want to make the world a better place, okay, tell us how."
"In the end, it is really the leadership at a national level, which is whoever is going to be president of the United States starting next January 1st – what are they going to do about guns?" Bloomberg asked.
Presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney met with Bloomberg in May, but an aide to the mayor said Bloomberg remained undecided about making an endorsement in the presidential race. Bloomberg won his last election as a political independent, but was previously a Democrat, then a Republican.
In his interview Friday, Bloomberg said guns getting into hands of criminals wasn't solely a problem in cities like New York.
"This is killing people every day, and it's growing and it's not just an inner-city, east coast, west coast, big city phenomenon. Aurora is not a big city," Bloomberg said, referring to the suburb of Denver where Friday's shooting took place.
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someone said gun control would 'destroy our freedoms'. right. The people who were murdered and injured lost their freedoms and their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. but hey gotta love those guns
Guns are not the problem, they are the solution. What we need is less gun control. The best offense is a good defence. Be smart carry a back up and keep others hidden at home, because sure as sugar Obama is gonna try to take em all..............TEAMERICA
@Wiley Thruster . . .And then there's the senior citizen in Florida the other day that saved a cafe full of people from two gun-weilding thugs by pulling out his weapon and firing. Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
That old man and everyone else in that internet cafe are lucky that these two thugs were not hardened criminals and they ran because that old man would be pushing up daisy along with who knows how many others if they had returned fire and shot as many people in the cafe before fleeing. Your point?
Stricter gun controls will do nothing to prevent tragedies like this from happening. Right that down.
They dont need to do anything but educate more to use them. If someone in the open carry state of co would have had one last night in that theater it could have saved a dozen lives
We need gun control now.... Every American should have one. I recommend all Americans to exercise this right. The Law can't always be in the right place at the right time.
If not for the NRA, stricter gun controls may have stopped the automatic weapons in Arizona getting into the hands of drug cartels.
Hey, Jake. Since you've seen so many terrible gun injuries and you now hate guns, I take it you don't carry one to protect yourself while on patrol or even while you are off, right?
according to the NRA guns don't kill people, PEOPLE DO! Sometimes I wonder if we would be better off if everybody owned guns or if NOBODY owned them.
Hey Bloomberg, it don't happpen if a criminal comes in a place where EVERYBODY is armed.
@DC Observer – Gun Control is against the principls of the COnstitution
for you maybe for the rest of us it's in the Bill of Rights!
Mayor Bloomberg....We need more people like you standing up to outside interest groups like the NRA who has a choke hold on politicians about anything to do w/ gun control. A pres can only do so much especially in a 4 or 8 yr period. This problem runs MUCH deeper, and has lasted too long. Nice to say, hey pres, gov, do something! But we all, everyday Americans included, need to start demanding change from ALL of our politicians...We are partly to blame...
For one, this is not a national issue. States should be entitled to create their own gun laws. Niether of the candidates should make a statement regarding the issue.
Adam: You are right. We need MORE guns in this country. The 2nd Amend. refers to "well trained militia". We need RPGs & IEDs too. Only then will we all be safe from... whatever it is that you're afraid of.
The root cause is NOT the weapons, it is the person(s) behind them. Once you focus on the root cause, bad or sick people, you may work out a solution. Taking guns out of the picture is as fruitless an exercise as the "war on drugs" and the results will be similar, guns only in the hands of these who should not have them and innocents without defense.
OK, lets outlaw cars because they kill, lets outlaw knives because they kill, lets outlaw fire accelerants because they kill, lets outlaw food because it kills. When are we going to learn we cannot regulate moral and ethical behaviour.
The ONLY way the gun violence will stop in America is if you ban all guns. That will never happen, we are a free nation. It is sad what is going on but unfortunately the gun violence will not stop. It is easier for a criminal to get a weapon than a law abiding citizen. There is no "waiting period" for criminals. I say that if a convicted felon is in possession of a firearm, MANDATORY 10 years for that charge & whatever else they did. Tougher penalties for gun crimes.
Screw Bloomberg. Ban guns, ban sugar, ban salt, blah blah blah. The problem is too much restriction. If you want a nanny state move to Europe. This is America please leave our rights, freedoms and Constitution alone.
If the would be bad actors were faced with a better trained and more knowledgeable public and with the reality of more concealed carry holders I'm not sure they would be as reckless as to enter into ideas of lunacy.this just makes it easier for the politicians to argue more control!
Don Helton
How are the toughest gun control laws in a city working out in Chicago? Law breakers find ways to get guns while law abiding citizens face limits and restrictions. don
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A city in the US is not an island. Nor is a state. Without a comprehensive NATIONAL approach firearms will always be easily available for those who really want them.
Gun-control regulations make it harder for the law-abiding citizens to legally own a firearm, while criminals will obtain them from other easier suppliers.
To have 'meaningful' effect with gun-control, there needs to be a national regulation applied to all states, and simultaneously a removal and reduction in the number, and types of firearms available.
This is pretty much a lost cause though with the NRA lobbyists and weapons and ammo manufacturers own lobbyists spending millions on advertising and 'funding' of politicians to make sure the votes always go their way. They have a multi-billion dollar business at stake. The manufacturers win no matter who buys the weapons.
If memory serves me right there here gun control laws on the books with Pres clinton, could not just walk in and buy an ak-47, guns had to be registered and the list goes on~one of the first things GW Bush did was void the gun control and each yr since it has only gotten worse~you do not have to think to kill with a gun it happens on reflex alone~stats show that the majority of homeoners who try to use their gun on the proverbal bad guy end up shot by their own gun by tat bad guy~I have no problem with ctizens having guns but I beleive then need to be registered, I do not beleive anyone needs to carry and AK 47 like to see whats left of a der after an AK 47? BUT u see if our pres tries to bring back the gun regs he will be accused of trying to take our guns away from us oh boohooooo~no one is trying to take ur play toy way from you just trying to make you and our orld safer~how many colorados have to happen how many zimmermans have to happen before the nra gets it right we DO NOT want ur dam gun we just want to protect those who choose not to have guns
Q, I am sorry to say you are wrong! I agree the american people have a right to own a gun. I do believe we should have more gun control to make sure terrible tragedies like this does not happen. No one should own a gun that is not a responsible, mature adult. Restrictions should be made on types of guns the public can buy.
It still amazes me that people think that the 2nd Amendment is about hunting, and not a checks-and-balance with our government. With so many people uprising against their oppressive governments around the world these past two year, I think the case for a well armed population should be very clear.
If the American public were to ever go up against a brutal government, the last thing I want to happen is the need for outside forces have to arm the groups.
If the theater had not posted a sign stating "No Weapons Allowed", the legal, law abiding, firearm carrying patrons, might have been able to defend themselves and save a few lives. Law abiding folks follow the rules and left their weapons in the car and were helpless. I am sure that all of these twisted idiots, Jihadists, and terrorists are going to take real note of Mr. Bloomberg's continuous delusional ideas that criminals are going to buy their weapons at the local gun store.
We need to deal with the outlws that do this- Take a life -forfit a life -especially where there is no doubt! Sorry but the left has lost the gun law thing as it will not work and they need to move on to something that does not mean more government control of my life..... Maybe a society that actually condems this sort of thing rather than try for ideological points would help