7 Steps Washington Can Take to End Gun Violence

Every day, 33 Americans are murdered with guns, a number that exceeds the 26 killed in the Newtown shooting one month ago. During President Obama's second term in office, there will be approximately 48,000 Americans killed with guns. As a nation, we must finally say enough is enough.

This morning at the Johns Hopkins University Summit on Reducing Gun Violence, Mayor Bloomberg outlined seven steps Washington can take to reduce gun violence.

The first three steps must be passed by Congress:

1. Require All Gun Purchases to Have Background Checks.

Currently, private sales at gun shows and online gun purchases do not require background checks. These private sales account for more than 40 percent of all gun sales nationally. This means in 2012 alone, there were more than six million gun sales that occurred with no background checks.

More than 80 percent of gun owners and more than 90 percent of Americans support requiring background checks for all gun sales.

2. Make Gun Trafficking a Federal Crime.

In New York City, 85 percent of the weapons recovered from crime scenes come from out-of-state sources ? but federal laws designed to curb illegal sales across state borders are incredibly weak.

3. Limit the Availability of Military-Style Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines with More Than Ten Rounds.

Military-style weapons were never designed for sport or home defense. These weapons were designed to kill large numbers of people quickly. They serve a purpose on the battlefield in the hands of our brave professionally-trained soldiers, but they do not belong on our streets.

Military-style assault weapons had been banned under the federal assault weapons law that expired in 2004. It's been done before, which sets a precedent now for doing it again. This is not a Constitutional question; it?s a question of political courage.

The final four steps can be enacted through executive action:

4. Order All Federal Agencies to Submit Relevant Data to a National Gun Background Check Database.

Every missing record is a potential murder in the making. If data from federal agencies isn?t in the database, those who use the database don?t get what they need, and gun sales can go ahead in cases where they shouldn?t.

5. Direct the Justice Department to Make a Priority of Prosecuting Criminals Who Provide False Information on Background Checks.

In 2010, more than 76,000 criminals tried to buy guys ? a federal felony ? yet the federal government prosecuted only 44 of them, or less than 1/10th of one percent. The President should direct the Justice Department to prosecute more of these cases.

6. Appoint a Director to Lead the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) hasn?t had a director for six years. This is as much a public safety threat as it would be if there weren?t a Secretary of Homeland Security. If Congress keeps blocking the ATF appointees, the president can make a recess appointment.

7. Stop Supporting the Tiahrt Order.

The Tiahrt Order keeps the public in the dark about who gun traffickers are and how they operate. There is no excuse for shielding criminals from public view.

Source: http://www.mikebloomberg.com/index.cfm?objectid=3B0AE8A2-C29C-7CA2-FED6DC868C4B0CA0

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