Once again, Mayor Michael Bloomberg reminds us of his true legacy.
Like Margaret Sanger on safe birth control for women and Martin Luther King on civil rights (they both did other things, good and bad) I believe Mike Bloomberg will also be remembered for one bold crusade–his lonely campaign to eliminate assault weapons in private hands, bring down the number of guns on our streets and end the insanity of Americans slaughtering each other in record numbers.
Once again, a mass murder takes place by a deranged American with an assault weapon, this time in a crowded theater in Aurora, Colorado last weekend. And once again, as after Columbine, the Gabby Giffords nightmare and other tragedies, politicians wring their hands at the horror of it all. But as usual, only one politician has the balls to stand up to the NRA and demand stopping the lunacy and banning assault weapons, Mike Bloomberg, who looks with skepticism at the statements of care and empathy from both President Obama and Mitt Romney.
“Expressing sympathy is nice,” said Bloomberg. “But somebody’s got to actually do something.”
A federal ban on assault weapons was in effect until 2004. While Governor of Massachusetts, Romney fought for and got a state ban on assault weapons passed, but has since reversed his opinion on the matter. Meanwhile President Obama has totally avoided the issue. Bloomberg shows disdain for what he calls their empty rhetoric, demanding “it’s time for both of them to be held accountable.” And of course he’s right. But don’t hold your breath.
A bill currently in Congress to outlaw magazines that hold large amounts of ammunition like the Colorado shooter used would be a good start. But Congress has ignored it, as have both Obama and Romney. Meanwhile the NRA has put in the crosshairs this fall lawmakers sympathetic to limiting ammo for such deadly assault weapons.
Why would the NRA oppose this bill? It doesn’t interfere with 2nd Amendment rights, nor with the purchase of hunting rifles or pistols for family and private protection. So after seeing the carnage these weapons and ammo causes innocents, why would they oppose the bill so strenuously?
Because they can. Because the NRA, which used to be a respectable organization advocating responsible gun use, is now just interested in one thing: power.
“They have shown absolutely no interest in public safety, but in people taking the law into their own hands,” says Bloomberg.
The NRA, who sees Bloomberg as public enemy No. 1, disputes this, saying taking away the right of private citizens to own deadly assault weapons is a “slippery slope.” If they truly believe this, why stop at assault rifles? Why not allow hand granades? How about dirty bombs? Why limit the weaponry Joe Citizen can purchase and carry?
Maybe I shouldn’t give them any ideas.
Well, I’ve disagreed with Bloomberg on some major issues, but I have to strongly agree with him on this. And yes, I’m glad someone has the nerve to stand up to the NRA. Our president, and Presidential hopeful, certainly do not. How could anyone be against banning assault weapons? Do they enjoy seeing mass murders? Why would someone be against background checks for people who want to buy guns? The NRA are a bunch of ignorant, backward jerks, and combined with our representatives’ lack of a backbone is resulting in many innocent people losing their lives.
The N.R.A. and those who support it outright are a symptom of this country’s continuing cultural immaturity, at almost 240 years of age.
I commend Mayor Bloomberg.
Bloomberg is an idiot, he turned NY into a police state, and brags about being in control of his own army (the NYPD). I bet he has never had to defend his self against a criminal brake in, and cares about noting but power, point is guns have saved me and my family’s life when an armed CRIMINAL (who would be grateful for a gun ban because it makes their job easier, and will get a gun no matter if it is legal or not because he is a CRIMINAL) came in to my house shooting but didn’t make it out, any politician who votes to BAN any type of gun will not get my vote.
Please provide a link to the story where Bloomberg “bragged about being in control of his own army” (I live in NYC and never heard it)
What an amazing story about the criminal breaking into your house shooting and not making it out alive because you shot him in a gun battle. A story like that must have least made the local papers. Please provide a link to it.
The truth is that the overwhelming majority of shootings inside a family home involve suicide or one family member shooting another in a crime of passion. Look it up.
Gun violence has gone way DOWN in NYC since Guiliani and Bloomberg cracked down on illegal guns. Look it up.
The story talks about allowing people to keep their handguns and rifles for hunting and personal protection, violating no 2nd Amendment rights. What it does advocate is banning the purchase and use of assault rifles used by the madman who went on a murderous spree in Colorado and numerous other such slaughters of innocent Americans.
Yet you declare a politican who votes to ban ANY type of gun will not get your vote. Are you saying you are in favor of making it easy for lunatics to attain military type assault weapons that shoot 100 bullets at a clip used in the Aurora, Columbine, Virginia Tech and other massacres of Americans? These weapons aren’t for “personal protection” or hunting but mass murder. Please explain why you are in favor of this.
I await your response.
Mayor Bloomberg is the Lone Ranger and I applaud him for taking his stand. When will this craziness end? When we have shootings in public schools and movie theaters?
Oh wait, we do. How many NRA members or their families were in these two horrific places at the wrong time? Probably none!