Mike Bloomberg in Newsweek

On Gun Control: It's not about gun control, it's about crime control

Every day, nearly 30 people are murdered in the US. We ask ourselves, what can be done to stop this kind of gun violence? As mayor, I have asked myself that question many times. In NYC, we've cut murders by 40%. The fact is that most crimes are committed with illegal weapons--and that is where the new gun debate is, or at least should be, centered. In New York, we aggressively go after these guns, but no city can stop the flow of illegal firearms alone. These are national problems that require national leadership.

Unfortunately, in recent years, combating gun crime hasn't been a priority of this Justice Department or Congress. Most gun dealers follow the law and run honest businesses. But the statistics show that 1% of dealers sell more than half of all illegal guns. Why isn't the federal government going after them?

There's common ground on this issue for anyone who is willing to look at it honestly, not ideologically. This isn't about gun control. It's about crime control.

Source: By Michael Bloomberg in Newsweek: "The Changing Gun Debate" Apr 30, 2007

The above quotations are from Columns and news articles in Newsweek magazine. Click here for other excerpts from Columns and news articles in Newsweek magazine. Click here for other excerpts by Mike Bloomberg. Click here for a profile of Mike Bloomberg.
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