Mayor: NYC Probe In Ariz. Shows Illegal Gun Sales
NEW YORK (AP/CBS 2/1010 WINS) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg says undercover investigators working for New York City were illegally allowed to buy semi-automatic pistols at an Arizona gun show.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that the sale not long after the mass shooting in Tucson exposes a "dangerous gap'' in federal gun laws.
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Bloomberg says investigators told two sellers they could probably not pass a background check for two semi-automatic pistols. He says that revelation should have prevented the sale.
"You would hope that with the memory of the Tucson shooting still so painfully fresh, anyone working in a gun show, especially in the state of Arizona, would think twice before selling a firearm to anyone who even hinted or joked about not being able to pass a background check," Bloomberg said.
The investigators visited Phoenix on Jan. 23. That was a couple of weeks after the rampage in Tucson killed six people and wounded 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
"Just 15 days after the Tucson shootings our undercover investigator found sellers willing to break the law and endanger their fellow citizens just to make a quick buck," Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg has made gun control advocacy a hallmark of his tenure. He argues that too many illegal guns end up on city streets.
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