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Mayor Thompson Supports President Obama Common-sense Gun Reforms

Harrisburg Mayor Linda D. Thompson joined President Obama in Washington today to call upon Congress to strengthen America’s gun laws to confront mass shootings ...

Harrisburg Mayor Linda D. Thompson joined President Obama in Washington today to call upon Congress to strengthen America’s gun laws to confront mass shootings and common gun violence by strengthening America’s gun laws following the broadest public pressure for gun control in decades.

At the White House event at noon, Mayor Thompson said, “this is a bold and comprehensive plan to end the sale of military-styled weaponry in America and end mass gun violence. The president is offering sensible solutions that Americans across the nation are demanding right now.”

The President announced plans to introduce legislation next week that includes a ban on assault weapons, limits on high-capacity magazines, expanded background checks for gun purchases and new gun trafficking laws to crack down on the spread of weapons across the country.

“These are precisely the actions the Mayors Against Illegal Guns have called for since the tragedy in Newton, Conn. last month,” Thompson said. “We congratulate the President today.”

President Obama promised to act without Congressional approval to increase the enforcement of existing gun laws and improve the flow of information among federal agencies to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and others who shouldn’t have them.

The President’s proposals also require criminal background checks for all gun sales, closing the longstanding loophole that allows gun buyers to avoid such checks by purchasing their weapons at gun shows or from a private seller.

The background check database, in place since 1996, has stopped 1.5 million sales to felons, fugitives, convicted domestic abusers and others; but today almost 40 percent of all gun sales are exempt from the system.

Mayor Thompson said she will call on Pennsylvania representatives in Washington to “support a tougher ban on military style assault weapons, limit the number of rounds that can be in a magazine to 10, and require criminal background checks for all gun sales.”

“It’s up to lawmakers in Congress now to pass these measures that will help save lives. The American people won’t accept inaction any longer.” She added. “We have worked for six years to help make this day happened.”

The Mayor said that the President and Vice President will take their gun control message across the county in a series of public events. Highlights from the President’s plan include:

Legislative Proposals

  • Require a background check for all gun sales.
  • Ban military-style assault weapons and high capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
  • Strengthening penalties for gun trafficking.

Key Executive Orders

  • Improve reporting of records to the background check system by states and federal agencies.
  • Crack down on criminals who try to buy guns.
  • Send an open letter to gun dealers encouraging them to run background checks for private citizens selling their guns.
  • Call on Congress to act on the Administration’s $4 billion proposal to help keep 15,000 cops on the street.
  • Direct federal agencies to trace all guns recovered in crimes.
  • Nominate B. Todd Jones, current Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, to be the agency’s permanent director.

 

The article above provided by the Office of the Mayor of Harrisburg.

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