Meeting in New Orleans, mayors from across the nation called on the House of Representatives to pass meaningful gun safety legislation, and resist NRA-backed efforts to significantly weaken Senate-passed provisions.

In a letter signed by over 100 mayors, the Conference called on House Speaker Dennis Hastert (IL) to approve a rule which allowed for an open and meaningful debate, and to support legislation which, as a minimum, included:

• Those provisions relating to gun safety which were included in S.254 as it passed the Senate, along with "clarifications" to the Senate language which would address some problems contained in the legislation, such as setting minimum standards for gun safety devices and specifying the kind of conduct necessary to protect the users of such devices from civil liability;
• A strong provision relating to background checks at gun shows, one which closes existing loopholes rather than opening new ones;
• A provision which raises the age for both purchasing and possessing a handgun from 18 to 21;
• A national one-gun-a-month provision to reduce illegal straw purchases and the secondary market for guns;
• Reinstatement of a reasonable "cooling-off" period between the time an individual purchases and takes possession of a gun; and
• Substantial funding for the development of personalized "smart" guns.

The letter emerged from a meeting of the Gun Violence Task Force, which was co-chaired by Mayors Clarence Harmon of St. Louis and Scott L. King of Gary. During a press conference following the meeting, Mayor King stated that the objective is to "put faces on gun violence statistics" and say, "enough is enough."

In expressing serious concern with reports that the House would be watering down the Senate-passed bill, New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial said, "we want a meaningful bill with teeth, not just good copy for members of the House."

Arlington Height Mayor Arlene Mulder stated, "This is not about gun control, its about gun safety."

Treasury Under Secretary for Enforcement James E. Johnson addressed the task force and urged strong support for President Clinton’s gun safety package, which includes many of the Conference of Mayors’ priorities. He also expressed support for increased efforts on gun law enforcement, and increased crime gun tracing.

Victoria Reggie Kennedy, who is forming a new coalition called Common Sense About Kids and Guns, enlisted the support of mayors for a national campaign to teach gun owners the importance of securing weapons away from children and other unintended users. Mrs. Kennedy said that 41 percent of American households own guns, and that 40 percent of deaths for youth ages 0-19 come as a result of accidental shootings or suicide.

The mayors wholeheartedly agreed with the need for a national effort to make locking-up guns as automatic as wearing a seatbelt or using a child-safety seat.

During the task force meeting, Mayor Harmon also spoke about his effort to stop a concealed guns ballot initiative in Missouri, which was successfully defeated due to a strong urban/suburban coalition.

And as Mayor Webb said during the task meeting, mayors need to help connect with people on the issue of gun safety who don’t feel connected to the problem.

The issue of gun safety was carried into plenary discussions of school violence, with mayors agreeing on the need for a strong package to be passed and signed into law.