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In Response to Senate Vote, Mayor NutterSays Mayors Will Not Give Up on GunSafety LegislationThe U.S. Senate on April 17 rejectedfour amendments to the Safe Communities,Safe Schools Act strongly supportedby The U.S. Conference of Mayors:• Senators Patrick Toomey (PA) and JoeManchin’s (WV) bipartisan compromiseto require background checks forprivate-party gun sales in commercialsettings and preserve current recordkeepingpractices;• Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (CA)amendment to ban assault weaponsand high-capacity magazines;• Senators Frank Lautenberg (NJ) andRichard Blumenthal’s (CT) amendmentto ban high-capacity magazines;• Senators Patrick Leahy (VT) and SusanCollins’s (ME) amendment that wouldcreate federal offenses for straw purchasingand trafficking of firearmsand expand and increase penaltiesfor several existing gun laws.Following the day’s voting, Conferenceof Mayors President Philadelphia MayorMichael A. Nutter released the followingstatement:“It is with deep disappointment thatthe nation’s mayors today watched theSenate reject amendment after amendmentthat would have strengthened thenation’s gun laws and helped to preventthe tragedies which occur every dayon the streets of our cities and the massshootings in Newtown, Aurora, Tucson,and too many other places in our nation.Those amendments would have strengthenedand expanded the backgroundcheck system, banned assault weapons,strengthened federal gun statutes, andbanned high-capacity magazines.“Clearly the shots heard ‘round theworld on December 14 were not heardby enough U.S. Senators to make a differenceon April 17. Nor were the shotswhich have killed nearly 3500 additionalpeople in this country since December 14.“Despite the appeals of the familiesof those children and teachers shot andkilled in Newtown, despite the appeals offormer Congresswoman Gabby Giffords,not enough Senators were persuaded thatmore can be done to keep guns awayfrom those who would turn them on us.“Despite the appeals of Mayors andlaw enforcement leaders across thisnation, too many Senators believe thatthe laws governing firearms in our countrydo not need to be strengthened aswas proposed today, that the loopholesin those laws do not need to be closed.“In poll after poll, the vast majority ofAmericans voice their support for strongergun safety laws, but their voices are“Clearly the shots heard ‘round the world on December14 were not heard by enough U.S. Senators to make adifference on April 17.”USCM President Philadelphia MayorMichael A. Nutterconsistently drowned out by the organizedadvocates of the status quo who have astronger presence in the halls of Congress.“Mayors never stop fighting to ensurethe safety of our citizens, and we will notgive up on our efforts on this issue. TheU.S. Conference of Mayors has supportedmeasures to reduce gun violence formore than four decades and we won’t bedeterred from pushing for what is right.That is what the American people wantand what our cities and our nation needs.”– USCM President Philadelphia MayorMichael A. Nutterusmayors.orgPage 8 U.S. MAYOR April 29, 2013