Washington, DC—Today, the Executive Committee of the United States Conference of Mayors held an emergency session to address the unending gun violence and evil that continues to claim the lives of countless innocent Americans, including our children, and issued the following statement:

“In the aftermath of the most recent mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, the nation’s mayors stand united across party lines to say enough is enough. We refuse to allow the passage of time to relieve the pressure on Congress to act. Unless our elected officials in Washington finally take this crisis seriously, this plague will soon hit another American city and more precious lives will be lost.

“There is no question that we can reduce gun violence in America without infringing on people’s rights. This should not require courage, but simply a willingness to open one’s eyes to the carnage taking place every day.

“Today we reaffirm our strong support for the two bills that have passed the House and are pending in the Senate: The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 1446). Next week, more than 170 mayors will be convening in Reno, Nevada for the Conference’s 90th Annual Meeting where we will discuss further actions that our nation, and especially the United States Congress, must take.”

Members of the United States Conference of Mayors Executive Committee:

Francis X. Suarez

Mayor of Miami, FL

President

 

Hillary Schieve

Mayor of Reno, NV

Second Vice President

 

Elizabeth Kautz

Mayor of Burnsville, MN

Past President

 

Bryan Barnett

Mayor of Rochester Hills, MI

Past President

 

Greg Fischer

Mayor of Louisville, KY

Past President

 

Steve Adler

Mayor of Austin, TX

 

J. Christian Bollwage

Mayor of Elizabeth, NJ

 

James Brainard

Mayor of Carmel, IN

 

LaToya Cantrell

Mayor of New Orleans, LA

 

Jane Castor

Mayor of Tampa, FL

 

Joy Cooper

Mayor of Hallandale Beach, FL

 

T.M. Franklin ‘Frank’ Cownie

Mayor of Des Moines, IA

 

Hardie Davis, Jr.

Mayor of Augusta, GA

 

Jorge O. Elorza

Mayor of Providence, RI

 

John Giles

Mayor of Mesa, AZ

 

Andrew J. Ginther

Mayor of Columbus, OH

 

David Holt

Mayor of Oklahoma City, OK

 

Lori E. Lightfoot

Mayor of Chicago

 

Sylvester Turner

Mayor of Houston, TX

 

Quinton Lucas

Chair, Criminal and Social Justice Committee

Mayor of Kansas City, MO

 

Tom Cochran

CEO and Executive Director