Many Mayors Hear Your Voice

Grassroots politics is alive and well in the United States, as gun owners have been making their voices heard to their mayors. In the past few weeks, gun owners have been contacting their mayors who joined New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG).

The result:  MAIG has lost over 50 members because gun owners took action to tell their mayors the truth about this organization.  Many of the mayors who have resigned from MAIG have indicated they were unaware of the full extent of their anti-gun agenda.  They now know they were mislead by MAIG’s claims that it was only concerned with “illegal” guns.

In response to NRA-ILA’s efforts to inform voters and mayors regarding the truth about MAIG and its anti-gun agenda, Bloomberg’s group has contacted mayors repeating their claim that they are only concerned with “illegal” guns, claiming that NRA is misrepresenting their agenda.  But the facts are clear.

MAIG has never taken any direct action regarding illegal guns. (Click here to read more about MAIG.)  All of their priorities, from repealing the Tiahrt amendment, to opposing interstate Right-to-Carry reciprocity, have been targeted at law-abiding gun owners.  Law enforcement groups, like the Fraternal Order of Police, have made their support for the Tiahrt amendment clear.  The Tiahrt amendment protects not only ongoing criminal investigations, but also the lives and safety of law-enforcement officers. (To read what FOP President Chuck Canterbury wrote on the Tiahrt amendment click here.)

The real reason MAIG opposes the Tiahrt amendment is because it interferes with the efforts of anti-gun mayors like Bloomberg, Boston’s Thomas Menino (a MAIG co-founder), and Chicago’s Richard Daley to bring bogus lawsuits against lawful firearm manufacturers.  These suits are designed to punish gun makers for the acts of criminals, and to use the courts to impose strict regulations on gun sales that legislatures have rejected; gun regulations that negatively impact law-abiding gun buyers, but have no impact on criminals.

MAIG opposition to Right-to-Carry reciprocity is a clear example of their opposition to legal gun ownership and self-defense.  Reciprocity would only apply to those who have permits, and then only if all local laws are followed.  Criminals and gunrunners do not undergo background checks, take training courses, and seek certification to obtain a carry permit--law-abiding gun owners do.

Gun owners must keep up the pressure on their mayors to ensure that their rights are respected.  If your mayor is a member of MAIG, contact him and let him know the truth about this anti-gun group’s real agenda. (To find if your mayor is a member of MAIG, click here.)  If your mayor is one of those who has resigned, call and thank him for his support.