The nation’s mayors are calling on the United States Senate to return to Washington to pass bipartisan legislation to end gun violence now.

Read The Letter

August 8, 2019

The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
Democratic Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 201510

Dear Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer:

RE: Senate Action Needed NOW on Gun Safety Legislation

On behalf of The United States Conference of Mayors, we urge you to immediately call the Senate back to Washington to take action on bipartisan gun safety legislation.

Already in 2019, there have been over 250 mass shootings. The tragic events in El Paso and Dayton this weekend are just the latest reminders that our nation can no longer wait for our federal government to take the actions necessary to prevent people who should not have access to firearms from being able to purchase them.

In late February, the House of Representatives passed two bills that would greatly strengthen the background check system:

  • H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Check Act of 2019
  • H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019

H.R. 8 passed the House on February 27 on a bipartisan vote of 240-190. It would close serious loopholes in the background check system by:

  • requiring all firearm purchases to undergo a NICS background check;
  • helping to prevent dangerous individuals from obtaining deadly weapons by circumventing the laws on the books;
  • prohibiting unlicensed transfers of guns through unregulated secondary sales; and
  • increasing law enforcement’s ability to trace crime guns.

H.R. 1112 passed the House on February 28 on a bipartisan vote of 228-198. If this bill had been law in 2015, the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston might have been avoided. The bill would extend the background check review period deadline from three to 10 business days, to help ensure that background checks are completed before weapons are sold and that dangerous individuals who should not have them are unable to purchase them.

H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112 are bipartisan, sensible gun safety bills that would make our cities and our people safer, and would in no way compromise gun owners’ rights.

We urge you to call the Senate back to session now to take up and pass these bills to help reduce gun violence and the terrible toll it takes in our cities and our nation.

Quick passage of these bills is a critical step to reducing gun violence in our country. The United States Conference of Mayors stands ready to work with Congress, the Administration and others to develop holistic remedies to the scourge of gun violence. America has proven time and again that we can rise to our most difficult challenges. We look forward to working with you to find a way forward to protect our citizens from this senseless carnage.

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Mayors are calling for action now.

Bryan K. Barnett
Mayor of Rochester Hills, MI
President

Greg Fischer
Mayor of Louisville, KY
Vice President

Nan Whaley
Mayor of Dayton, OH
Second Vice President

Tom Cochran
CEO and
Executive Director

Stephen K. Benjamin
Mayor of Columbia, SC
Past President

Elizabeth B. Kautz
Mayor of Burnsville, MN
Past President

Dee Margo
Mayor of El Paso, TX

Bryan K. Barnett
Mayor of Rochester Hills, MI
President

Greg Fischer
Mayor of Louisville, KY
Vice President

Nan Whaley
Mayor of Dayton, OH
Second Vice President

Tom Cochran
CEO and Executive Director

Stephen K. Benjamin
Mayor of Columbia, SC
Past President

Elizabeth B. Kautz
Mayor of Burnsville, MN
Past President

Dee Margo
Mayor of El Paso, TX

Dan Horrigan
Mayor of Akron, OH

Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Mayor of Alameda, CA

Rochelle Nason
Mayor of Albany, CA

Kathy M. Sheehan
Mayor of Albany, NY

Tim Keller
Mayor of Albuquerque, NM

Justin Wilson
Mayor of Alexandria, VA

Christopher Taylor
Mayor of Ann Arbor, MI

Gavin Buckley
Mayor of Annapolis, MD

Jeff Williams
Mayor of Arlington, TX

Esther E. Manheimer
Mayor of Asheville, NC

Keisha Lance Bottoms
Mayor of Atlanta, GA

Nancy Backus
Mayor of Auburn, WA

Hardie Davis Jr.
Mayor of Augusta, GA

Richard C. Irvin
Mayor of Aurora, IL

Steve Adler
Mayor of Austin, TX

Bernard ‘Jack’ C. Young
Mayor of Baltimore, MD

Sharon Weston Broome
Mayor of Baton Rouge, LA

Denny Doyle
Mayor of Beaverton, OR

Peter Christie
Mayor of Bella Vista, AR

Jesse Arreguin
Mayor of Berkeley, CA

Michael P. Cahill
Mayor of Beverly, MA

John A. Mirisch
Mayor of Beverly Hills, CA

Michael J. Venezia
Mayor of Bloomfield, NJ

Tari Renner
Mayor of Bloomington, IL

John Hamilton
Mayor of Bloomington, IN

William W. Moehle
Mayor of Brighton, NY

Martin J. Walsh
Mayor of Boston, MA

Suzanne ‘Zan’ Jones
Mayor of Boulder, CO

Robert Fazen
Mayor of Bound Brook, NJ

Joe Ganim
Mayor of Bridgeport, CT

Andy Linko
Mayor of Brownstown Township, MI

Trey Mendez
Mayor of Brownsville, TX

Byron W. Brown
Mayor of Buffalo, NY

Miro Weinberger
Mayor of Burlington, VT

Paula Zelenko
Mayor of Burton, MI

Dave Palmer
Mayor of Butte, MT

David J. Shapiro
Mayor of Calabasas, CA

Marc C. McGovern
Mayor of Cambridge, MA

Edwin García Feliciano
Mayor of Camuy, PR

Thomas M. Bernabei
Mayor of Canton, OH

James Brainard
Mayor of Carmel, IN

Lydia Lavelle
Mayor of Carrboro, NC

James A. Diossa
Mayor of Central Falls, RI

Deborah Frank Feinen
Mayor of Champaign, IL

Pam Hemminger
Mayor of Chapel Hill, NC

John J. Tecklenburg
Mayor of Charleston, SC

Andy Berke
Mayor of Chattanooga, TN

Lori E. Lightfoot
Mayor of Chicago, IL

Mary Casillas Salas
Mayor of Chula Vista, CA

John Cranley
Mayor of Cincinnati, OH

Frank G. Jackson
Mayor of Cleveland, OH

Patrick L. Wojahn
Mayor of College Park, MD

Andrew J. Ginther
Mayor of Columbus, OH

Biff Traber
Mayor of Corvallis, OR

Meghan Sahli-Wells
Mayor of Culver City, CA

Eric Johnson
Mayor of Dallas, TX

Judith ‘Judy’ Paul
Mayor of Davie, FL

Chris Watts
Mayor of Denton, TX

Michael B. Hancock
Mayor of Denver, CO

T.M. ‘Frank’ Franklin Cownie
Mayor of Des Moines, IA

Mike Duggan
Mayor of Detroit, MI

Riley H. Rogers
Mayor of Dolton, IL

Juan Carlos Bermudez
Mayor of Doral, FL

David Gregory Haubert
Mayor of Dublin, CA

Roy D. Buol
Mayor of Dubuque, IA

Emily Larson
Mayor of Duluth, MN

Steve Schewel
Mayor of Durham, NC

Brad J. Cohen
Mayor of East Brunswick, NJ

Marcia A. Leclerc
Mayor of East Hartford, CT

Lisa Yarborough-Gauthier
Mayor of East Palo Alto, CA

Deana Holiday Ingraham
Mayor of East Point, GA

Salvatore J. Panto Jr.
Mayor of Easton, PA

James B. Hovland
Mayor of Edina, MN

J. Christian Bollwage
Mayor of Elizabeth, NJ

Kirsten Holzheimer Gail
Mayor of Euclid, OH

Lucy K. Vinis
Mayor of Eugene, OR

Catherine S. Blakespear
Mayor of Encinitas, CA

Stephen H. Hagerty
Mayor of Evanston, IL

Carlo DeMaria Jr.
Mayor of Everett, MA

Cassie Franklin
Mayor of Everett, WA

Colleen Mahr
Mayor of Fanwood, NJ

Tim Mahoney
Mayor of Fargo, ND

Lioneld Jordan
Mayor of Fayetteville, AR

Karen Weaver
Mayor of Flint, MI

Acquanetta Warren
Mayor of Fontana, CA

Thomas ‘Tom’ C. Henry
Mayor of Fort Wayne, IN

Betsy Price
Mayor of Fort Worth, TX

Sam Hindi
Mayor of Foster City, CA

Yvonne M. Spicer
Mayor of Framingham, MA

William May
Mayor of Frankfort, KY

Phillip ‘Phil’ Kramer
Mayor of Franklin Township, NJ

Lily Mei
Mayor of Fremont, CA

Lee Brand
Mayor of Fresno, CA

Lauren Poe
Mayor of Gainesville, FL

Jud Ashman
Mayor of Gaithersburg, MD

Karen M. Freeman-Wilson
Mayor of Gary, IN

Edward Estes
Mayor of Glenarden, MD

Sefatia Romeo Theken
Mayor of Gloucester, MA

Rosalynn Bliss
Mayor of Grand Rapids, MI

Eric Genrich
Mayor of Green Bay, WI

Emmett V. Jordan
Mayor of Greenbelt, MD

Nancy Vaughan
Mayor of Greensboro, NC

Shane T. Bemis
Mayor of Gresham, OR

Kristina Kovarik
Mayor of Gurnee, IL

Rodney S. Craig
Mayor of Hanover Park, IL

Luke Bronin
Mayor of Hartford, CT

Barbara Halliday
Mayor of Hayward, CA

Don Ryan
Mayor of Hempstead, NY

Debra March
Mayor of Henderson, NV

Stacey Armato
Mayor of Hermosa Beach, CA

Nancy Rodkin Rotering
Mayor of Highland Park, IL

Steve Callaway
Mayor of Hillsboro, OR

Ravinder S. Bhalla
Mayor of Hoboken, NJ

Josh Levy
Mayor of Hollywood, FL

Alex B. Morse III
Mayor of Holyoke, MA

Kirk Caldwell
Mayor of Honolulu, HI

Sylvester Turner
Mayor of Houston, TX

Steve Williams
Mayor of Huntington, WV

Eileen Weir
Mayor of Independence, MO

Joseph “Joe” H. Hogsett
Mayor of Indianapolis, IN

Christina L. Shea
Mayor of Irvine, CA

Samuel Teresi
Mayor of Jamestown, NY

Bobby J. Hopewell
Mayor of Kalamazoo, MI

Alberto G. Santos
Mayor of Kearny, NJ

Dontario ‘Don’ Hardy
Mayor of Kinston, NC

Madeline Anne Rogero
Mayor of Knoxville, TN

Linda Evans
Mayor of La Quinta, CA

Andy Schor
Mayor of Lansing, MI

Kenneth D. Miyagishima
Mayor of Las Cruces, NM

Carolyn G. Goodman
Mayor of Las Vegas, NV

Hazelle Rogers
Mayor of Lauderdale Lakes, FL

Daniel Rivera
Mayor of Lawrence, MA

David J. Berger
Mayor of Lima, OH

Frank D. Scott Jr.
Mayor of Little Rock, AR

John P. Marchand
Mayor of Livermore, CA

Robert Garcia
Mayor of Long Beach, CA

John Pallone
Mayor of Long Branch, NJ

Eric Garcetti
Mayor of Los Angeles, CA

William Samaras
Mayor of Lowell, MA

Thomas M. McGee
Mayor of Lynn, MA

Nicola Smith
Mayor of Lynnwood, WA

Satya Rhodes-Conway
Mayor of Madison, WI

Gary Christenson
Mayor of Malden, MA

Joyce Craig
Mayor of Manchester, NH

Ray Mueller
Mayor of Menlo Park, CA

Mike Murphy
Mayor of Merced, CA

Kevin M. Scarpati
Mayor of Meriden, CT

John Giles
Mayor of Mesa, AZ

Francis X. Suarez
Mayor of Miami, FL

Thomas ‘Tom’ Barrett
Mayor of Milwaukee, WI

Jacob Frey
Mayor of Minneapolis, MN

John Engen
Mayor of Missoula, MT

Emily Niehaus
Mayor of Moab, UT

James ‘Jamie’ E. Mayo
Mayor of Monroe, LA

Lisa Matichak
Mayor of Mountain View, CA

Steve Gawron
Mayor of Muskegon, MI

Jill Techel
Mayor of Napa, CA

Jim Donchess
Mayor of Nashua, NH

David Briley
Mayor of Nashville, TN

Alejandra Sotelo-Solis
Mayor of National City, CA

Jon Mitchell
Mayor of New Bedford, MA

Toni N. Harp
Mayor of New Haven, CT

LaToya Cantrell
Mayor of New Orleans, LA

Bill de Blasio
Mayor of New York, NY

Alan L. Nagy
Mayor of Newark, CA

Ras J. Baraka
Mayor of Newark, NJ

McKinley L. Price DDS
Mayor of Newport News, VA

Ruthanne Fuller
Mayor of Newton, MA

Paul A. Dyster
Mayor of Niagara Falls, NY

Kenneth Cooper Alexander
Mayor of Norfolk, VA

Chris Koos
Mayor of Normal, IL

Breea Clark
Mayor of Norman, OK

Thomas Bernard
Mayor of North Adams, MA

Francis ‘Mac’ Womack III
Mayor of North Brunswick, NJ

Leon Rockingham Jr.
Mayor of North Chicago, IL

David J. Narkewicz
Mayor of Northampton, MA

Harry Rilling
Mayor of Norwalk, CT

Anan Abu-Taleb
Mayor of Oak Park, IL

Libby Schaaf
Mayor of Oakland, CA

David Holt
Mayor of Oklahoma City, OK

Kathy Mulcahy
Mayor of Orange Village, OH

Buddy Dyer
Mayor of Orlando, FL

Eric Filseth
Mayor of Palo Alto, CA

Christine Hunschofsky
Mayor of Parkland, FL

Ashira Mohammed
Mayor of Pembroke Park, FL

Frank C. Ortis
Mayor of Pembroke Pines, FL

Teresa Barrett
Mayor of Petaluma, CA

Jim Kenney
Mayor of Philadelphia, PA

Kate Gallego
Mayor of Phoenix, AZ

Brian C. Wahler
Mayor of Piscataway, NJ

William Peduto
Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA

Adrian O. Mapp
Mayor of Plainfield, NJ

Harry LaRosiliere
Mayor of Plano, TX

Rex Hardin
Mayor of Pompano Beach, FL

Gregory J. Oravec
Mayor of Port St. Lucie, FL

Ethan K. Strimling
Mayor of Portland, ME

Ted Wheeler
Mayor of Portland, OR

Jorge O. Elorza
Mayor of Providence, RI

Hillary Schieve
Mayor of Reno, NV

Levar Stoney
Mayor of Richmond, VA

Thomas K. Butt
Mayor of Richmond, CA

Cathy Adduci
Mayor of River Forest, IL

Lovely A. Warren
Mayor of Rochester, NY

Robert J. Ray
Mayor of Rochester, MI

Kim Norton
Mayor of Rochester, MN

Bridget Donnell Newton
Mayor of Rockville, MD

Tammy Dana-Bashian
Mayor of Rowlett, TX

Michael Fournier
Mayor of Royal Oak, MI

Darrell Steinberg
Mayor of Sacramento, CA

Kimberly Driscoll
Mayor of Salem, MA

Jacob R. Day
Mayor of Salisbury, MD

Jackie Biskupski
Mayor of Salt Lake City, UT

Ron Nirenberg
Mayor of San Antonio, TX

London Breed
Mayor of San Francisco, CA

Jason Pu
Mayor of San Gabriel, CA

Sam Liccardo
Mayor of San Jose, CA

Carmen Yulin Cruz
Mayor of San Juan, PR

Pauline Russo Cutter
Mayor of San Leandro, CA

Miguel A. Pulido
Mayor of Santa Ana, CA

Cathy Murillo
Mayor of Santa Barbara, CA

Martine Watkins
Mayor of Santa Cruz, CA

Alan Webber
Mayor of Santa Fe, NM

Gleam Davis
Mayor of Santa Monica, CA

Gary R. McCarthy
Mayor of Schenectady, NY

Jenny A. Durkan
Mayor of Seattle, WA

Michael Vandersteen
Mayor of Sheboygan, WI

Adrian Perkins
Mayor of Shreveport, LA

Jeffrey Z. Slavin
Mayor of Somerset, MD

Joseph A. Curtatone
Mayor of Somerville, MA

Pete Buttigieg
Mayor of South Bend, IN

William ‘Bill’ Edwards
Mayor of South Fulton, GA

Kenson J. Siver
Mayor of Southfield, MI

Geoff Ellsworth
Mayor of St. Helena, CA

Lyda Krewson
Mayor of St. Louis, MO

Jake Spano
Mayor of St. Louis Park, MN

Melvin Carter
Mayor of St. Paul, MN

Rick Kriseman
Mayor of St. Petersburg, FL

David Martin
Mayor of Stamford, CT

Michael C. Taylor
Mayor of Sterling Heights, MI

Michael D. Tubbs
Mayor of Stockton, CA

Joseph T. McElveen Jr.
Mayor of Sumter, SC

Michael J. Ryan
Mayor of Sunrise, FL

Ben Walsh
Mayor of Syracuse, NY

Victoria Woodards
Mayor of Tacoma, WA

John E. Dailey
Mayor of Tallahassee, FL

Michelle J. Gomez
Mayor of Tamarac, FL

Jane Castor
Mayor of Tampa, FL

Mark W. Mitchell
Mayor of Tempe, AZ

Wade Kapszukiewicz
Mayor of Toledo, OH

Michelle De La Isla
Mayor of Topeka, KS

Patrick J. Furey
Mayor of Torrance, CA

Dane Slater
Mayor of Troy, MI

Jonathan Rothschild
Mayor of Tucson, AZ

Carol Dutra-Vernaci
Mayor of Union City, CA

Vince R. Williams
Mayor of Union City, GA

Diane W. Marlin
Mayor of Urbana, IL

Robert ‘Bobby’ M. Dyer
Mayor of Virginia Beach, VA

Muriel Bowser
Mayor of Washington, DC

Quentin M. Hart
Mayor of Waterloo, IA

Shari Cantor
Mayor of West Hartford, CT

John D’Amico
Mayor of West Hollywood, CA

Christopher L. Cabaldon
Mayor of West Sacramento, CA

Michelle W. Brindle
Mayor of Westfield, NJ

William R. Wild
Mayor of Westland, MI

Daniel J. Stermer
Mayor of Weston, FL

Thomas M. Roach
Mayor of White Plains, NY

Michael S. Purzycki
Mayor of Wilmington, DE

Justin S. Flippen J.D.
Mayor of Wilton Manors, FL

James Allen Joines
Mayor of Winston-Salem, NC

Zachary J. Vruwink
Mayor of Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Michael Helfrich
Mayor of York, PA

Jamael Tito Brown
Mayor of Youngstown, OH

John F. Dunbar
Mayor of Yountville, CA

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