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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Obama should introduce a gun law reform that would make more difficult to buy a gun. Currently there are shopping centers that sell clothes and guns on the same location. It is not a good idea that people wear a gun for their protection. In Canada, most people don't carry a gun and the violence is significantly less. I think this reform should be done quickly or else a lot more people will die or suffer from gun shots.
It's time for the women in this country to stand up for better gun control laws and requirements reviewing applications for purchases. If the weak won't do it, we should.
random shooting happen in all countries BUT in the USA more Americans have died at the hands of American people and Amercian guns than all the Amercians killed in wars from day 1
There is also a positive correlations bewteen the number of gun stores in a community and the number of people killed in that community
you may want to look at your law "right to bare arms"
or at least stop opening and expandsng gun stores
SAD for the poeple
I demand the right to own as many assault weapons as I wish and if I want to go crazy and randomly shoot people then it is my right. It's in the constitution and if you disagree then you are a communist.
$5,000 says mr. bloomberg has a gun. $100,000 says first thing he does if you take away his security detail is buy one.
If a criminal wants a gun he'll get one, it's called gun trafficking and if I'm not mistaken even our current administration is guilty of this crime. You can't stop a criminal before he commits a crime and there are not enough law enforcement officers to stand around at every corner watching for some crazy man to pull a gun. It's not possible.
We were given the second amendment to protect us from not just outside invaders but also from our own government. Just as the Romans assassinated Cesar in the senate with their "modern" weapons at the time, our founding fathers wanted a way to prevent a tyrant, one who rules illegally, from taking power over our nation. There is a cost to the responsibility we have been given and it can be high at times. But look at what could also happen, look at what Hitler did, look at what Stalin did, look at what all tyrants and dictators have done to those that oppose them in any manner.
Don't tell me it can't happen here, don't tell me that will only happen with one group or another, don't tell me only in my pathetic little mind because I'm some sort of conspiracy person. It can happen here, it can happen even with a leader that starts off with the best intention, it will happen if we allow it to.
I think some of you guys don't read between line. It is clearly said that the gunman had bullets proof, so even if bunch of guys had guns as the NRA want you to do so you kill innocent citizens, there no evidence that someone will stop the gunman. It may even worsen the situation with the panic.
NRA needs to stop killing honest citizens and stop buying our politicians.n If you love this great nation, USA, you cannot support the NRA.
If Bloomberg ran the country, we'd all be eating hummus and water, wearing state-approved clothes and living in state-run domiciles and be allowed 1 child per family.
It's funny how many of you call for an "Assault Weapons Ban" They had one of those 8 years ago and it clearly did nothing. Open up your eyes and see what's really going on here.
Also, learn to research a bit to understand how difficult it is to get a true "assault weapon" High capacity magazines, bayonet lugs, and collapsible stocks to not make your weapon an "assault weapon," That would be select fire. Select fire weapons have been near impossible to get since 1987.
So those of you with an 'Opinion' on firearms ownership and rights in the United States, please research before interjecting.
-NOT a member of the NRA, just a citizen of the States.
We wonder why guns are the solution to so many peoples problems. We show gun violence every minute of the day in the media yet some how we think that it has no impact on society. If we showed pillow fights everyday on TV there would be an out break of pillow fights. People would be shopping for the best pillow to fight with.
He will take action all right. Gid rid of these crazy gun control laws. Guns are not the problem, they are the solution. RNC convetion will be shinning star of what happens when you allow people to protect themselves at all times. Demoncrats would never let you carry concealed weapons into their convention. Watch and learn.........TEAMERICA
"NOT a member of the NRA, just a citizen of the States."
No, just another person who can't seem to grasp the sitaution.
Can't do anything about guns until we do something about the NRA. Aiding and abetting criminal activity. Investigate. Prosecute.
Why don't we try banning crazy people, that would work, right?
Let's face it, no one is advocating taking away anybody's right to bare firearms. Its true the majority of gun owners don't go out murdering people. However, gun advocates and the NRA are no naive and ignorant to the real argument at center stage. The main argument here is our government's reluctance and failure through the decades to strenghten gun laws to make the sale of guns to people more stricter. For example, the Virginia Tech shooter was a foreign born student on a student visa and he was able to walk into a local gun store and use his school id to purchase several guns without a background check. Gerrad Loughner who gunned down Congresswoman Gabriella Giffords and others in Arizona a year ago was denied the sale of a gun at one Wal-Mart so we went to another Wal-Mart and without a back ground check and proper screening, he was able to purchase several guns to carry out his deadly assault. Hey, no one is advocating taking away people's right to bare guns but rather for stricter gun laws. What is so hard to understand here? Hey gun advocates, your love ones might be next!
Let's be real. I'm all about stricter gun control as far as licensing training registering etc. But this is not an NRA thing. There are no NRA members in downtown Detroit. But there are still more guns there than damascus. There are always going to be bad people-laws don't fix those. In the early 90s, Under Dinkins in nyc the gun laws were incredibly strict but I was still able to purchase a gun as a sophmore in high school on the street. Not to hurt anyone, just because I had one pulled on me and I was scared to death. The person that would supply the gun was only a year older than I. NRA members have all their stuff registered. The black market is the problem. Start there.
fine with me, ban all weapons. concealed carrying really prevented VT, Columbine, the Arizona congresswoman's shooting, this...realllyyyy worked, and this is coming from a combat marine vet. ban them across the board except for maybe a double barrel shotgun for farmers hunting.
Right out of the Shoot, Emanuael starts talking about our constitutional freedoms?? It is this type of blind idiotcy that continues to plague our country especially coming from the right of the political spectrum. How is it that a 24 year old White male can obtain a gun(s), a bullit-proof jacket, tear-gas cannisters and that does not raise any suspicions? If indeed this idiot's apartment is rigged with explosives, again, how is it again, that o one noticed anything?
There are so many issues needing attention in our country and the right to bare arms should be at the top of the list. Why does any American outside the law inforcement and/or military need a AK47, M16, BAR, or a rocket propelled launcher? For anyone qualified to own and operate a firearm, it should be for home protection, not as a hedge to fight our government.
We need political leaders that are brave enough to take on the NRA and minimize this craziness.
Take them all away and watch the first land invasion of America occur since the war of independence. It is the reason the Japanese did not invade the mainland.
How about our leaders decide to do something about our economy and stop the decisive venomous attacks on each other. Set an example!
Simply put, if the shooter (or the VA Tech shooter, or Norway shooter, etc) did not have assault weapons (10+ round clipfed), your body counts go down and lets get radical and just say if they had a knife instead of a gun...you may have avoided death altogether. These are the facts – no matter what you feel about it. Bloomberg has a point – the NRA is a big money lobbyist – I'd love to see the candidate address this issue as if they were not suckling money from lobbyists, but they are.
I find it funny how most of the guns owned leaglly in NYC are owned by the political elite and their bodyguards. Why is it that law abiding citizens get harassed for owning a legal flintlock, and any of Bloombergs pals can get any gun they want?
Oh please, the United States is a warzone at the moment. There are hundreds of shootings and murders across the Country every weeekend and even daily. All you NRA crtazies say we need more guns however in Europe where there is gun contol therre are few if any murders by firearms. Nothing will hit home until one of yours is shot and then you have to reflect on your stance. The other problem is the mentally ill which we have virtually tossed on the streets rather than give them help. This will continue as long as guns are freer as pop and the mentally ill can buy them like candy. This is just the beginnig of the results of the NRA's arming of America.
Those strick guns laws have worked really well in Chicago. Actually 38 people shot in one weekend is a Demcorat dream, and only happens in Democrat ruled for decades areas like Crook county.
Make gun safety/education classes manditory for all teenagers. This is a start.
But gun control will not solve anything, as there are and will always be ways of getting black market guns.
@GaryS
Remember only law abiding citizens are affected by gun control laws, criminal do what ever the heck they want.
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Law abiding citizens are killed by people with guns and you're delusional to believe otherwise. Ask the parents of the dead children in Aurora. Many law-abiding citizens start out normal and lose their minds along the way... America leads the world in gun ownership and gun-related deaths. Gun control laws could be based on common sense – but the N.R.A. is nothing more than a tool of the Republican Party – a radical political lobby creating consipracies and sprading rumors with no basis in truth.
In Texas I can sell a privately owned weapon to any adult without any paperwork – nothing. As a hunter and avid shooter I attend gun shows regularly and have often seen what appears to be gang-bangers (I'm stereo-typing – so sue me) buying weapons from patrons walking around with firearms for sale. It's common to see the purchase occur with nothing but the weapon and cash involved in the exchange. If our right-wing had it's way we'd sell them in vending machines. Until we negotiate these issues in good faith the anti-gun lobby will always win the battle of logic vs. conspiracy therories. The N.R.A. remains a problem rather than a solution to responsible gun ownership.
How is this guy a Republican? He's pro-choice, anti-gun, and wants the government to regulate your soft drink intake.