- Mar 11, 2015
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Republicans who keep losing local elections because their ideas are no good, like blaming Democratic mayors for problems. Seems that finally Democratic mayors have had enough.
Newsweek: Republicans Blame Us for Violent Crime—While Blocking Our Efforts to Fight It
America is in the throes of a gun violence epidemic that is driving an increase in violent crime. Horrific acts of violence have permeated every part of our daily lives. We can't go to a concert, a nightclub, a mall, the gym, to schools, celebrate the 4th of July or Pride without fear of a shooting. And as soon as we begin to come to grips with one shooting, another happens.
We are four Democratic mayors in red and purple states and we can tell you that contrary to the narrative on the Right, gun violence is not confined to liberal states on America's coasts; it is a national epidemic that requires immediate, national action. While mass shootings capture the headlines and flood our phones with push alerts, as mayors, we know those are only a small fraction of the acts of gun violence that shatter our communities every day. We have attended the funerals and heard the stories of families destroyed because the wrong person had access to a deadly firearm.
As mayors, we are on the front lines of fighting back against violent crime. And as Democratic mayors, we are the driving force behind directing resources to support proven violence prevention programs and law enforcement. This includes activating community-based interventions, gun buy-backs, jobs and outreach programs for at-risk youth. We have also used American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds funds to support police departments in hiring, retaining, and training officers, creating programs to address domestic violence and forge technological upgrades to ensure police safety.
But even with these smart interventions and investments, many of us are facing uphill battles, thanks to the very people who like to blame Democratic mayors for violence.
Our state Republican governors and legislators are tying our hands as we attempt to curb gun violence and keep our cities safe—even while they blame us for crimes in our communities. They are doing this by repealing life-saving gun safety laws and actively passing legislation that puts communities and officers in danger by flooding our streets with guns.
Last year, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation to prohibit police and sheriffs from enforcing federal gun laws. Texas Governor Greg Abbott helped pass pro-gun legislation like open carry, campus carry and permit- and training-less carry. As a result, both the numbers of murders and the percentages of homicides committed with guns increased. Of the 1,187 murders in 2014, 63.3 percent were committed by the use of firearms. By 2020, that increased to 80.6 percent. Texans felt the impact of the gun crisis when 19 children recently lost their lives in Uvalde.
In March, Ohio's Republican-controlled Statehouse rolled back gun laws when he signed a bill allowing all Ohioans aged 21 and older to carry a concealed firearm without a permit, training, or background check. Gun deaths in Ohio were already on the rise, with deaths from firearms in 2021 at an all time high. The impacts are already being felt. Due to the state's new permitless carry law, law enforcement in Youngstown had to recently release 10 people without charge whom they could have charged with a gun crime before the law took effect.
www.democraticmayors.org
Newsweek: Republicans Blame Us for Violent Crime—While Blocking Our Efforts to Fight It
America is in the throes of a gun violence epidemic that is driving an increase in violent crime. Horrific acts of violence have permeated every part of our daily lives. We can't go to a concert, a nightclub, a mall, the gym, to schools, celebrate the 4th of July or Pride without fear of a shooting. And as soon as we begin to come to grips with one shooting, another happens.
We are four Democratic mayors in red and purple states and we can tell you that contrary to the narrative on the Right, gun violence is not confined to liberal states on America's coasts; it is a national epidemic that requires immediate, national action. While mass shootings capture the headlines and flood our phones with push alerts, as mayors, we know those are only a small fraction of the acts of gun violence that shatter our communities every day. We have attended the funerals and heard the stories of families destroyed because the wrong person had access to a deadly firearm.
As mayors, we are on the front lines of fighting back against violent crime. And as Democratic mayors, we are the driving force behind directing resources to support proven violence prevention programs and law enforcement. This includes activating community-based interventions, gun buy-backs, jobs and outreach programs for at-risk youth. We have also used American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds funds to support police departments in hiring, retaining, and training officers, creating programs to address domestic violence and forge technological upgrades to ensure police safety.
But even with these smart interventions and investments, many of us are facing uphill battles, thanks to the very people who like to blame Democratic mayors for violence.
Our state Republican governors and legislators are tying our hands as we attempt to curb gun violence and keep our cities safe—even while they blame us for crimes in our communities. They are doing this by repealing life-saving gun safety laws and actively passing legislation that puts communities and officers in danger by flooding our streets with guns.
Last year, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation to prohibit police and sheriffs from enforcing federal gun laws. Texas Governor Greg Abbott helped pass pro-gun legislation like open carry, campus carry and permit- and training-less carry. As a result, both the numbers of murders and the percentages of homicides committed with guns increased. Of the 1,187 murders in 2014, 63.3 percent were committed by the use of firearms. By 2020, that increased to 80.6 percent. Texans felt the impact of the gun crisis when 19 children recently lost their lives in Uvalde.
In March, Ohio's Republican-controlled Statehouse rolled back gun laws when he signed a bill allowing all Ohioans aged 21 and older to carry a concealed firearm without a permit, training, or background check. Gun deaths in Ohio were already on the rise, with deaths from firearms in 2021 at an all time high. The impacts are already being felt. Due to the state's new permitless carry law, law enforcement in Youngstown had to recently release 10 people without charge whom they could have charged with a gun crime before the law took effect.
Newsweek: Republicans Blame Us for Violent Crime—While Blocking Our Efforts to Fight It — Democratic Mayors
Mayor Levar M. Stoney, Mayor Regina Romero, Mayor Sylvester Turner, and Mayor Justin M. Bibb America is in the throes of a gun violence epidemic that is driving an increase in violent crime. Horrific acts of violence have permeated every part of our daily lives. We can't go to a concert , a nig
www.democraticmayors.org
