South Fla. Mayors Join Effort To Keep Guns Out Of Criminal Hands
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Several South Florida Mayors have joined more than 1,000 mayors nationwide in an effort to keep guns out of criminals' hands.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, along with several other South Florida Mayors, held a conference Friday in front of the Stephen P. Clark Center in Miami to announce his joining 45 fellow Florida Mayors in the coalition.
The coalition, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), is a bipartisan coalition committed to pushing for common-sense gun laws focused on keeping guns out of criminal hands.
"While the The Second Amendment provides Americans with a Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, that right comes with great responsibilities," said Mayor Gimenez.
Glenn Forshee, a father whose 12-year-old daughter Tequila was killed recently by a bullet that went through the walls of her grandmother's home, attended the conference.
"We get screened and we get checked for everything else, why not guns? It's a real serious problem in Miami," said Forshee.
MAIG is co-chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as well as Boston's Mayor Thomas Menino.
Since its inception, MAIG has grown from 15 members to more than 1,000 mayors, Republican, Democrats and independents included, across the country. With more than 1.5 million grassroots supporters, the coalition is the largest gun violence prevention agency in the country.
The coalition's goal is the need for sensible gun policies that stems from flow of illegal guns into our communities.
"One of those responsibilities is supporting background checks that can save lives by keeping guns out of the hands of those who should not have them. I join my fellow Mayors – from across the political spectrum and across the nation – in supporting this common-sense action that will help make us all safer," said Gimenez.
On the coalition's list of priorities is also the need for extension of comprehensive and enforceable background checks to cover private gun sales, including gun shows and internet sales.
