New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has called for the end of stand your ground laws. In a statement issued by Bloomberg, the mayor says that self defense laws like the one in Florida, “can inspire dangerous vigilantism and protect those who act recklessly with guns. Such laws – drafted by gun lobby extremists in Washington – encourage deadly confrontations by enabling people to shoot first and argue ‘justifiable homicide’ later.”

Bloomberg co-chairs the coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which he co-founded with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. But some members of the group have been embroiled in scandal, causing others to drop out and giving the coalition a bad name. To read more about this story, please click here.