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.
I gaurantee that this idiot had an assault style rifle (with a large magazine) and a combat style shotgun, not to mention various large capacity handguns. All of these could (and should) be banned without infinging on anybody's "rights" however you interpret them. There's really no cogent defense for the public to have access to these sorts of weapons. Not self defense, not hunting, not collecting. People do kill people, but it's crazy that we shouldn't try to limit the damage they can do when they try. And the absurd idea that we will be safer when more people are carrying guns is vigilante fantasy, not real life. More immidiatly accessible weapons and more lethal weapons just means more lives lost when people lose control, whether it's road rage, jealousy, or a nut job like this one. We have people vetted and trained to carry lethal weapons among us – the police. And they have a lot of training, resources and tools to call on before they have to use their guns. What if this attack HAD been a bad joke, like many of the victims mistakenly thought? A half dozen citizen vigilantes might have murdered a teen-age prankster. Let the cops do the defending, that's what we trained and equipped them for.
Gun control way over due.
No gun has ever killed a human. A man used a gun to kill that person. Blame your fellow MAN for this, don't blame the tool they use. If you make the argument that guns kill people and they need more regulation or even a complete ban, then you can argue that spoons and forks made you fat, therefore we should regulate silverware. More people die in this country from health-related issues in this country than are murdered by someone wielding a gun, but I don't see you clamping at everyone for the regulation or banning of a cheeseburger.
Good lord. So what criminal or mentaly ill wack-o is going to buy a gun legally with a background check and all? Americans are obsessed with shoot em up movies and glorified mobsters and revenge and it has trickled into our daily lives and dialog. This CO atrocity is just more of the same and we all look and cluck and tsk tsk but nothing is done to address the root problem. Our society is sick as hell.
My heart goes out to the families of the victims.
@Myviewis
Alcohol kills people everyday, I don't see people pushing to take it out of the market.
So do cars , there is a big difference between Alcohol , cars and a firearms .
A 9mm with a 30 round clip is not a beer , nor a Buick . It's only purpose is to kill .
Well, Bloomberg is already starting to help. Too many people get jacked up on 44oz Mt Dew Big Gulps and want to go around shooting the place up. Once they're restricted to only 16oz, things should calm down a lot.
Why does logic nit seep in. No one is saying take peoples guns away. What's wrong with implementing preventive measure. Laser etched bullets, tougher background checks, no more gun show easy sales, magnetic rings and the simple truth these people are not in a militia. I love life over gun. It's that simple.
There must be a way to tighten up gun sales so as to restrict gun sales without affecting those who have a legitimate right to own a gun. The NRA must step up and offer solutions to this issue and stop being a road block. And a return to the 1880's when everyone wore a gun on their hip is not the way to go.
americas got more guns then afganistan -get use to it and good luck
We don't have these problems in Canada. We have stricter firearms laws, and you cannot just walk into a shop and buy a handgun over the counter, as you can in many areas of the US. We have very strict laws also on the transport of any weapons.
For all those people out there who don't believe in some form of gun control I have a question for you. Why is that all the other so called developed countries that have some form of control, don't experience the type of violence that happens far too often in the U.S. They will never be any better gun control because the NRA has too many politicians in their pocket. The founding fathers I'am sure did not believe that very Tom, Dick and Harry should be walking around with assault weapons and semi-automatic pistols. Some food for thought, the right to bear arms is ancient British vocabulary meaning the people have a right to form a miltia and bear arms to protect themselves against foreign invasion. Like other laws over time they become outdated and need to be changed. Seems to me at one time under the constitution blacks were not considered first class citizens and women were not allowed to vote. Nobodys saying take all guns away, just have some control. As far as the story of the old man in Florida who supposedly saved all those people, what if the robbers had fired back, how many people would have been killed? There's a reason we have police officers.
It pains me to see the american thing going awry,this is unbelievable! though we are living in a world where the word 'control' is seeming to be insignificant to some sort.HOWEVER,to the family of those who died on this day,me and the entire body of my family in abuja Nigeria and Africa at large wish to send our condolences to the bereaved.
My condolences to the victims and their families. News reports are saying the killer did NOT have a permit for the weapons he used. Which begs the question: How did he get them?? He didnt have a criminal record except for a traffic ticket. Very troubling....
Bloomberg is a fool. Why not demand an end to violent and mysogynist images from Hollywood? If we weren't bombarded with constant images of death, violence, destruction and chaos we might not glamorize the actions or create an image for people to emulate. But, of course, that would put him strictly at odds with his liberal soul mates that dominate Hollywood. They can't possibly be the problem.
Guns don't kill people, psychos with no respect for life kill people. Stricter gun laws won't help anything. Education, 0% unemployment, and better living conditions for all MIGHT help and would be a good start.
I am tired of hearing the argument that guns don't kill people – people do. Well that's like saying men don't make babies only women do. The fact is it takes both. A gun won't kill with out a person. Yes a person can kill without a gun. But a person with a gun can kill many more people more quickly as we have seen many times over. And to all of you "don't take away my freedom people", if people can kill with a fountain pen or knife or whatever then protect your self using one of those weapons because you don;t need a gun or just buy an Alarm System for your house. Go hunting with a knife and really make it a challenge. That fact is we don't need guns. It's a violation of my freedom when people can easy kill me for no reason. The founding fathers were thinking about bearing arms to ward off enemy's of the US, not to kill each other. They would be abhorred to know what we do to each other with guns today.
The fact is that most (not all) of the mass murders of recent years have occurred in "gun free zones". So what happens? The criminals are the only ones who show up with guns. Gun free zones are a safe haven for the cowardly, as they know they are likely the only person armed in the "zone". Any increase in regulation will only make America less safe, as criminals will always be armed.
Over twenty people a day are murdered by guns in this country. A small fraction of that are saved by guns. Its too easy for criminals to get guns. We're worse than a lot of third world countries.
@mike saunders – but Pres. you have had the ball and have not scored in the 4 years that you have carried it.
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You must get your viewpoint from Faux Noise. FACT and TRUTH is that the Grand Obstructionist Party has done EVERYTHING in their power to block ANYTHING Obama has tried to implement to fix the trashed economy that Dubya and many years of failed conservative fiscal policies caused. One cannot "score" when half (or more) of your team is trying to score against you. It's FACT !
Sadly in New York only the criminals have the guns.
Its not the gun we have to worry about, its the person behind it. If you take the gun away from people, the same sick people who commit these crimes are just going to find something else, bats, saws, knives.... Guns don't fire themselves.
Don't hold your breath on Mitt "NRA" Romney, Mr. Mayor.
What are assualt weapons doing on the street? I agree folks should bear arms, but lets use common sense. The NRA is not walking around in the inner cities or stepping up to the plate after shootings like this. We need to stop Special interest and address problems for the common good.
Gun's don't kill, people kill. Banning guns will not stop this, as there are several different ways to obtain a weapon. Hince, the bad guys or those with mental issues are still going to do what they do. DONT LET THE GOVERNMENT MAKE CHOICES FOR THE RATIONAL PERSON!!!!!!!!!!!
Q...You and those that agree with you always make that argument. Colorado is an open carry state. What good did that do these people? Your old west mentality is based on mythology. Even in the days of the old west most attacks were ambush where you never saw it coming to start with. The movie gun fight almost never happened. Having lived in Detroit and been the victim of crimes in the past I can vouch for that. Most of these people aren't going to take a chance on an attack unless they are pretty sure they can get you before you ever see it coming.