MAYORS AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS URGE SENATORS FROM OHIO AND NORTH CAROLINA TO PRESERVE COMMONSENSE GUN POLICIES AND OPPOSE THE THUNE CONCEALED CARRY RECIPROCITY PROPOSAL

Senate Vote on Thune Amendment Set for Today

Mayors from Ohio Call on Senators Voinovich and Brown to Oppose Thune Amendment; Mayors from North Carolina Make Same Call to Senators Hagan and Burr

The bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns today made a targeted appeal to Senators Voinovich and Brown of Ohio and Senators Hagan and Burr of North Carolina, encouraging them to defeat the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill, known as the Thune Amendment, set to be voted on today. The 50 Ohio mayors who are members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns detail their opposition to the Thune Amendment in a full page advertisement in today's edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Similarly, the eight North Carolina mayors from the coalition are featured in an advertisement in today's edition of the Raleigh News and Observer. The Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition believes that the issue of concealed carry regulation is one best left to cities and states. The policies that legislators and law enforcement officials adopt in rural areas may not be best for urban areas - and vice-versa. This legislation would gut state regulations and mean that the state with the most lax conceal-carry requirements would effectively set the policy for the entire nation.

The ads can be viewed here:
See the ad in North Carolina
See the ad in Ohio

"This legislation is impractical for communities and police departments across this country and tramples on states rights," said Mayor Bloomberg. "There has been no hearing on this Amendment, which has been tacked onto a defense appropriations bill. Laws should not be passed this way, and I am proud to stand with 450 mayors to try and put a stop to it."

"North Carolina has put in place a permitting system that meets the unique needs of our state, this bill would force the less rigorous systems of other states upon us, and that's not right," said Durham Mayor Bill Bell. "We need help from Washington, we don't need Washington to tell us to follow gun laws written by other states. I am standing with seven other mayors to encourage Senators Hagan and Burr to stand up for North Carolinians and vote against the Thune Amendment."

"The Ohio legislature has decided that we will honor the concealed carry permits of 18 states," said Akron Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic. "Now in Washington, the Senate is voting to overrule our decisions and make the standards of every state apply to our own, even if they are lower. I think our existing system works fine, and I don't appreciate Washington telling us what to do. That's why I am urging Senator Voinovich to listen to 50 Ohio mayors against illegal guns and vote no on the Thune Amendment."

Joining the Mayors Against Illegal Guns in opposing the Thune Amendment are two eminent law enforcement groups, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Major Cities Chiefs Association. The International Association of Chiefs of Police is the nation's largest association of chiefs of police, representing thousands of chiefs all over America. Cities and counties represented by Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs in the Major Cities Chiefs Association include Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, El Paso, Fairfax County, Fort Worth, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas Metro, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Louisville, Memphis, Miami-Dade, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Montgomery County, Nashville, Nassau County, New Orleans, New York City, Newark, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Prince George's County, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Suffolk County, Tucson, Tulsa, Virginia Beach, and Washington D.C.

About the Thune Amendment
The Thune Concealed Carry Amendment would require states to recognize permits issued in other states, even if those other states have far weaker laws. Concealed carry reciprocity would strip cities and states of the right to set minimum standards for carrying concealed guns. Doing so would threaten the safety of police officers, by making it far more difficult for them to separate law-abiding gun owners from common criminals. And it would make it easier for gun traffickers to sell illegally.

Currently, 35 states deny permits to people convicted of certain misdemeanors; 31 states deny permits to alcohol abusers; and 31 states require applicants to complete gun safety training.

These minimum, common sense standards would effectively be eliminated by the proposed legislation. All concealed carry states would be forced to recognize permits issued by many states with no minimum standards at all.

About the Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Since its inception in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from just 15 mayors to 450 members in over 40 states. Mayors Against Illegal Guns has united the nation's mayors around common goals: finding new way to strengthen the enforcement of existing laws, protecting their communities by holding gun offenders and irresponsible gun dealers accountable, demanding access to trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat illegal gun trafficking, and working 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.