By David Gorgani, USCM Intern
August 25, 2008

During a lunchtime session of the August 14 Mayors’ Action Forum on Infrastructure in New York City, a representative of Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), a group dedicated to stopping the flow of illegal guns into American cities, briefed the mayors on legislation pending in Congress, described MAIG’s policies and goals and invited the mayors to join the coalition.

New York City Criminal Justice Coordinator John Feinblatt represented MAIG co-chair New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at the session. “Mayors Against Illegal Guns is an organization dedicated to crime control, not simply gun control,” said Feinblatt, underscoring the organization’s focus on guns obtained illegally.

Feinblatt emphasized MAIG’s four current legislative priorities:

• Close the gun show loophole so that background checks are performed for all purchases made at gun shows;

• Close the “terror gap” by not allowing suspects on terror watch lists to purchase firearms;

• Require background checks on all gun-handling employees of firearms dealers; and

• Close the fire sale loophole that allows dealers who have lost their licenses to continue to sell their inventory.

Feinblatt also expressed concern with the Tiahrt Amendment, a Congressional appropriations restriction that limits local law enforcement agencies’ access to crime gun trace data, a pivotal tool in identifying where illegal guns are purchased. In a survey sent to Senators McCain and Obama regarding their stances on illegal gun sales, MAIG stated that “according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 57 percent of guns recovered in crime originate from just 1.2 percent of gun dealers – yet the Tiahrt Amendment has prevented cities from identifying these dealers.”

Feinblatt further described MAIG’s Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership with Wal-Mart. This 10-point code is intended to ensure legitimacy in firearms transactions, by videotaping all gun transactions, deterrence of false identification, and employee background checks, and other actions. Feinblatt expressed MAIG’s intention to make this code the “gold standard” in firearms sales across the country, especially among major vendors.

MAIG, which was founded by Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, first met in April 2006 to discuss strategies to stop the flow of illegal guns into America’s cities. Since then, membership has grown to over 325 mayors, representing over 55 million Americans. Bloomberg and Menino remain the organization’s co-chairs.