Bloomberg's gun follies

You might know him as one of the richest people in the United States. Or maybe you know him as the guy who wants to take away your Big Gulp. But perhaps his most notorious feat is becoming the nation’s front man for gun control and an adversary of the Second Amendment.

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As Mayor of New York City, Michael R. Bloomberg has repeatedly called for anti-gun legislation that will make NYC’s already strict gun laws even more restrictive.Bloomberg is a powerhouse.

For years, he acquired wealth and success as a businessman. Bloomberg was elected mayor in 2001 and again in 2005. But two terms weren’t enough. Leading up to the 2009 mayoral election, he effectively campaigned to change city law that would’ve prevented him from a third term. In November 2009, Bloomberg was once again victorious and remained in office.

New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

Bloomberg’s anti-gun coalition, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, emerged in 2006. The National Rifle Association responded by launching a campaign against Bloomberg, describing his group as “a serious threat to our rights.”In recent months, Bloomberg has politicized tragic shootings that have taken place to push for stricter gun regulations. Within hours of the July 20 shooting in Aurora, Colorado, Bloomberg criticized President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for failing to make gun control a priority.In a July 20 radio interview with WOR Radio, Bloomberg said:“I don’t think there’s any other developed country in the world that has remotely the problem we have. There’s no other place that allows- we have more guns than people in this country. Every place else, if there are murders they’re generally not done with guns – not generally, a lot more are not done with guns. And everybody’s got problems with crime, and you know, that’s the real world. God didn’t make everybody perfect. But this is just- you know, and we can talk about it on the talk shows, we can wring our hands and say it’s terrible. You know, ‘I need more guns to protect myself.’ And that strategy doesn’t work.”

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Days later, Bloomberg appeared on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight”, where he called on police officers across the country to go on strike until more restrictive gun control measures were passed:

“I don’t understand why the police officers across this country don’t stand up collectively and say, ‘We’re going to go on strike. We’re not going to protect you unless you, the public, through your legislature, do what’s required to keep us safe.’”

An Aug. 24 shooting outside of the Empire State Building also prompted a response from Bloomberg, who defended the actions of New York City police officers who injured nine people while trying to take out the gunman.

This was a month after Bloomberg had urged cops to go on strike.

Bloomberg-backed gun control legislation has also become a threat to private sector workers. Remington, a gun manufacturer located in Ilion, N.Y., employs over 1,000 people, but is threatening to move its operations elsewhere if the state passes a law that would mandate microstamping on some bullet casings.

Bloomberg argues that NYC’s strict gun control laws have made the city safer and less vulnerable to gun violence. At a news conference in 2011, Bloomberg proclaimed that crime in the city was declining, contrary to statistics indicating that crime had risen by .04 percent.

As recent events illustrate, Bloomberg’s gun-grabbing hasn’t ended gun violence altogether. Unfortunately, the Mayor’s solution is more restrictive measures that will eliminate what’s left of the Second Amendment for NYC residents. Powerhouse Bloomberg has proven that he is fully committed to keeping guns out of the hands of Americans.

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Gun owners in the city may be able to breathe a sigh of relief when Bloomberg exits office next year, but if they want to restore their right to self-defense, they must elect a Mayor who actually values their constitutional freedoms.

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