Sparks flew as NJN Live’s "On The Record" television show tackled the issue of gun control during the New Jersey Conference of Mayors meeting in Atlantic City on Thursday, April 22.

The panel members engaged in lively debate as they expressed their views and positions on the issue. The panelists were:

• New Orleans Mayor Marc H. Morial;
• Atlantic City Mayor James Whelan,
• U.S. Conference of Mayors Executive Director J. Thomas Cochran;
• Ceasefire, NJ Executive Director Bryan Miller,
• Independence Institute Research Director David Kopel; and
• Newark Corporation Counsel Michelle Hollar-Gregory.

In response to a question about recoverable costs from the New Orleans lawsuit filed against the gun manufacturers, Mayor Morial emphasized the result hoped for was not money but "to change the practices of the gun industry."

Distinguishing gun lawsuits from tobacco litigation, Morial analogized the lawsuit strategy to safety issues in the automobile industry, citing aggressive advocacy as the catalyst for better and safer vehicles, which resulted in lower accident and fatality rates. He stressed that "all handguns should be outfitted with child safety locks."

Building on Mayor Morial's comments, Ms. Hollar-Gregory emphasized safety concerns and commented that "in the last three years, 29 children in Newark died because of gun violence."

Mr. Kopel of the Independence Institute, an anti-gun control think tank, argued that today, every handgun comes with a trigger lock and nothing is foolproof. Mayor Morial countered his statement with the question, "how many children will have to be killed before the gun industry changes its ways or practices?"

Mr. Miller of Ceasefire NJ added, "guns should be made as safe as possible." He emphasized that smart guns--childproof guns--designed for use only by an authorized user, have been available for two decades although gun manufacturers refuse to make the technology widely available to consumers.

In response to Mr. Kopel’s characterization of cities' lawsuits as an effort to circumvent the 'democratic,' or legislative, process, ostensibly the appropriate vehicle for change (as was the case with air bag regulations) a panel member shot back that "gun advocates fight every piece of legislation."

Mr. Cochran also vigorously defended the mayors' strategy. Commenting on the intensified efforts to hold gun manufacturers accountable, Cochran commented that "the intent is not to take everyone's gun away. People have a right to be sportsmen. We are talking about taking guns away from kids and felons. We are talking about gun safety. There should be requirements for families who want to own guns."

Atlantic City Mayor James Whelan added, "I thought the courts were a part of [the democratic] process. There is a social and financial cost to the position that the gun lobby takes. The gun lobby fights us every inch of the way. [The American Sports Shooting Council] walked away from us in negotiations." Whelan was referring to efforts led by Mayor Ed Rendell of Philadelphia, Chair of the Conference=s Gun Violence Task Force, to meet with and negotiate with the gun manufacturers, represented by the American Sports Shooting Council, in several sessions throughout 1998.

Mayor Morial, in his closing comments, pointed out that the lawsuits, regardless of their eventual outcome, have already been successful because they have raised public consciousness about the social and financial costs of gun violence and unchecked gun distribution, for the nation, for cities, and for families. He concluded by saying, "I believe, in the end, the gun lobby will not get their way. The American people will get their way."