This coming Monday morning, I will join several elected officials, Police chiefs, and religious leaders from throughout our region, as we together call on gun manufacturers to partner with us to improve public safety. Our press conference here in New Rochelle will be one of several around the country, all spearheaded by the “Do Not Stand Idly By” campaign, a nation-wide effort, endorsed by the U.S . Conference of Mayors, to utilize the gun purchasing power of the public sector to encourage common-sense safety measures.
With Congress unwilling or unable to act, this kind of grassroots, market-based approach offers an alternative means of making progress. After all, law enforcement agencies account for 15% of all gun purchases in the U.S.
On Monday, participants in this effort will jointly issue a request for information to gun manufacturers — it’s a conversation starter aimed at: (1) keeping guns out of the wrong hands by setting standards for gun dealers; (2) bringing to market “smart gun” technology that allows only an authorized gun owner/user to fire; and (3) enhancing cooperation with law enforcement in tracing the firearms used in crimes.
There’s much more information in these press releases for our local event and for the national campaign.
30,000 Americans will be killed this year by firearms, and many of these deaths are preventable tragedies. I hope gun manufacturers will work with us – their customers – to save lives, by ensuring that products purchased with taxpayer dollars are used to protect the public’s safety.