A national coalition of mayors is urging President Obama to adopt dozens of reforms to help curb gun violence, including steps to crack down on problems at gun shows and the creation of a federal interstate firearms trafficking unit, the Washington Post reports. The “Blueprint for Federal Action on Illegal Guns” presents 40 recommendations that “would dramatically improve law enforcement’s ability to keep guns out of the hands of criminals — and, in doing so, save innocent lives.”
The strategies outlined by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan group of about 450 mayors nationwide, focus on the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “Implementing these recommendations would achieve a goal that all participants in the gun debate support: enforcing laws already on the books,” say the coalition’s co-chairmen, Mayors Thomas Menino (D) of Boston and Michael Bloomberg (I) of New York. The proposed changes could be accomplished within existing laws through agency reforms, regulatory moves and better funding, the report said. The strategies grew out of academic and government research, an analysis of firearms prosecutions, and talks with government and law enforcement officials.