MAYORS AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS CONFERENCE CONVENES IN JACKSONVILLE, FL

Mayors Peyton and Bloomberg Launch Partnership With New National Coalition of State Legislators Against Illegal Guns

20 New Mayors Sign Statement of Principles Bringing Total Membership To Nearly 300 Mayors

Mayors' National Summit on Illegal Guns Will Take Place in April 2008 in Washington, DC

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 3, 2008 - Today at the Florida Conference of Mayors Against Illegal Guns hosted by Mayor John Peyton, he welcomed 20 new Florida mayors to the bipartisan coalition, where new members signed the group's Statement of Principles and participated in panel discussions. The co-chairman of the coalition, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, also attended the event and helped announce the formation of State Legislators Against Illegal Guns, a group that will work closely with the mayors' coalition on shared goals. The state legislators signed their own Statement of Principles pledging to work within their respective states and with each other to identify common sense policies that will help keep guns out of the hands of criminals. The founding members of State Legislators Against Illegal Guns are Florida State Representative Evan Jenne (D); New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman (D); Kansas State Representative Thomas C. "Tim" Owens (R); Nebraska State Senator Brad Ashford (R); Pennsylvania State Representative Cherelle L. Parker (D) and Illinois Representative Elizabeth Coulson (R).

"There is no issue more important than fighting crime," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Every day, 34 Americans are murdered with guns, and most guns used in crimes are possessed illegally. The Republicans, Democrats and independents from around the country who have joined our coalition of mayors - and who are now creating a coalition of state legislators - recognize that we can both protect the Second Amendment and get tough on illegal guns at the same time. Mayors and police departments often rely on state legislators to give us the tools we need to fight illegal guns, and we look forward to working with them to make sure we do everything possible to keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminals - and keep our communities safe."

"Gun violence is taking a huge toll on cities throughout the nation and stemming the flow of illegal guns into the hands of criminals will help to stem the tide of violent crime," said Mayor Peyton. "That's a goal every public servant should share, and it's one that has united this bipartisan coalition of municipal leaders and state legislators today."

"Less than two years ago Mayor Bloomberg and I set out to build a coalition dedicated to making our communities safer by getting illegal guns off our streets," said Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, a co-chair of the coalition. "I look forward to working closely with Mayor Peyton and the new mayors from Florida who have joined Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Their energy, ideas, and commitment to this coalition will bring great strength to our common goals. As our Coalition continues to grow we will make every effort to stop the proliferation of illegal guns across the United States."

Like Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the new coalition of state legislators recognizes that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions for the diverse districts that its members represent. Instead, the coalition will work to share ideas and enact common sense measures to stem the flow of illegal guns. Similar to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the new coalition of legislators is organized around a shared Statement of Principles focused on addressing the problem of illegal guns in the hands of criminals. Representative Jenne and Senator Schneiderman joined the mayors at the event and participated in a panel discussion about differences in state laws targeting illegal guns.

The mayors and state legislators joined Mayor Peyton in panel discussions outlining the economic costs of illegal guns, new models for community engagement, federal gaps and state legislative contrasts and the need for additional funding for law enforcement. Members of the Jacksonville Journey - a comprehensive, community-wide initiative aimed at stemming and reversing the tide of violent crime in Jacksonville - hosted the final panel of the day, showcasing their recent efforts. Former Duval County Sheriff Nat Glover moderated the panel and discussed Journey committees and the approaching 120-day March deadline for final recommendations that Mayor Peyton set when he first convened the journey in late December 2007.

The Florida mayors that joined the coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns at today's conference in Jacksonville are:

Mayors who had already joined the coalition and attended today's conference are:

At a regional conference of the coalition held in Baltimore in February, Mayor Bloomberg and Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon hosted 16 mayors and city representatives from 7 states. At that conference, the coalition announced a new effort to build a regional data sharing system for illegal gun data. The ultimate goal of the system will be to create a clearinghouse of criminal evidence for police departments up and down I-95's so-called "Iron Pipeline" to tap into.

The 2008 national summit of Mayors Against Illegal Guns is scheduled for April 14, 2008 in Washington, D.C. Mayors Peyton and Bloomberg will attend. Started in April 2006 with 15 members, the coalition now includes nearly 300 mayors in over 40 states.