Chicago, Monday, August 22, 2011.  It was announced yesterday that Mayor Rahm Emanuel has became the newest member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan coalition, dedicated to making America's streets safer by cracking down on illegal guns.

The coalition was launched in 2006 with 15 mayors and has grown to 600 escalating after killings across the nation including the mass shooting in Tucson on January 8, 2011 where 6 people were killed and others wounded including Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who is still undergoing treatment. The gunman in this shooting, Jared Loughner, had obtained his glock gun without a background check.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns works to hold gun offenders and irresponsible gun dealers accountable, advocates for better access to crime gun trace data that is critical to detecting and deterring trafficking, and works with legislators to fix gaps, weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other prohibited purchasers to get guns.

The illegal gun problem is two-fold explains Mayor Emanuel, “the fact is we are up against a well-paid Washington gun lobby, largely financed by the firearms industry, that is more aggressive and irrational than ever. Mayors Against Illegal Guns takes a bipartisan approach that reflects what Americans actually believe about gun issues:  we can respect the rights of gun owners while doing much more to keep illegal guns off the streets and away from criminals.”

In 2010, over 80% of murder victims in Chicago were killed with a gun. “We need to get the guns off the streets to prevent these senseless acts of violence, and I will advocate on the local, state and federal levels to accomplish this mission,” added Mayor Emanuel.

If you support this group and want to get this message to Congress you can sign a petition at  www.fixgunchecks.org.

Emanuel's First 100 Days.

In other mayoral news, Emanuel announced today that he is two-thirds of the way on his promise to save $75 million in 2011.  Within the first 100 days, $51.3 million has been realized by cutting senior management, merging government functions and freezing non-essential contracts, among many other things.