Tonight, Irvine Unified is hosting a town hall meeting on school safety in which Irvine Mayor Steven Choi will make some opening remarks. In the Q&A with the public that will likely follow the formal program, residents need to ask our new Mayor why he hasn’t yet joined the non-partisan group “Mayors Against Illegal Guns.” In public comments last night, Choi was urged by city residents to join this organization.
Irvine lawyer Melissa Fox spoke in public comments to urge the Council to go on record supporting the renewal of the federal ban on assault weapons, and urging Mayor Steven Choi to follow past Mayors Beth Krom and Sukhee Kang and join Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a nonpartisan coalition of more than 700 American mayors working to to fight illegal gun trafficking and gun violence in the United States. Fox encouraged others to contact Mayor Choi and other Council Members to encourage them to support a renewal of the federal ban on assault weapons, and for the Mayor to join Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
Choi responded that he’d consider it.
Our conservative Republican friends seem to be very pro-2nd amendment, but the key word in this organization is the word “illegal.” Why Choi has to ponder joining a group that already has more than 700 mayors of both parties to find ways to stop the use of illegal firearms is puzzling. If the group was “Mayors Against Illegal Drugs” or “Mayors Against Illegal Immigrants,” how much time would Choi need to consider joining either of those outfits?
Tonight, Irvine residents need to question the city’s new mayor why he needs to ponder joining a group when membership should be a no-brainer.
And it’s not just Choi. Right now the only Mayor in Orange County who is a member of this organization is Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. So clearly, all Orange County mayors should be questioned about their lack of membership in this organization. Does it mean they are pro-Illegal guns?
Here’s a recent announcement from the organization:
December 17, 2012 – Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chair and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was joined today by survivors and family members of victims of gun violence to release personal videos demanding that elected officials in Washington D.C. take immediate action to reduce gun violence in America. The videos can be viewed at www.DemandAPlan.org
The videos tell the stories of 34 Americans whose lives have been forever changed – whether in mass shootings in Aurora, Oak Creek, Tucson and Virginia Tech or in the daily gun violence that kills 34 Americans every day. The diverse voices hail from urban and suburban areas across the country, young and old, of different races and religious backgrounds. Every story is different, but all survivors are united in their belief that something must be done to prevent more tragedies like the one in Newtown, Connecticut and like the tragedy they personally experienced.
“What happened in Newtown was an unspeakable crime – a mass murder in which six- and seven-year-old children were gunned down in their classrooms, along with their elementary school teachers and administrators,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Gun violence is a national epidemic – and a national tragedy – that demands more than words. It demands immediate national action, from the President and from Congress. It needs to be at the top of their agenda.”
I wouldnt hold your breath waiting for Reps to join in a ban on any kind of guns. Theres a better chance to get the great park audited. And thats going to be hard to do as well even with a Rep majority.
Irvine should follow established Federal and State law on firearms and the 2nd Amendment. California already has the toughest gun laws in the United States and the politicans in Sacramento are already chomping at the bit to make them even tougher.
On the Mayor’s Group, I believe those are the people who want to ban all firearms, not just illegal ones. If a person is in possession of an illegal firearm in Irvine or anywhere else in California, they are arrested. As you indicated, the key word is “illegal.” Federal and State laws clearly spells out what is legal and what is illegal. If those laws change declaring other types of guns to be illegal, so be it. I personally do not support joining the Mayor’s group and since Irvine is not already a member, apparently neither did your Agranista buddies. I am sure despite that, you will still criticize whatever decision Steven Choi makes?
Rather than bashing gun ownership, this meeting tonight can be better used to discuss how prepared are our Irvine Schools and the Police Department for such an event, random or organized and how can we make it safer for the kids. We have always been proactive in this City and I don’t see this issue being handled any other way. See you at the meeting.
Patrick — reading comprehension issues or stupidity; Sukhee Kang and Beth Krom were both members of this non-partisan organization during their times as Mayor. On the contrary; Choi joining this group is the right thing to do. But Choi has to check in with his handlers first to make sure it’s OK for a Republican to do this.
But I plan on criticizing just about every decision our new mayor makes in the same manner who criticized every decision Kang, Krom and Agran did Pat. Don’t get upset if I play this game better than you did.
Dan, the difference between you and me is, I don’t give a rat’s ass how you play the game. You lost both the election and control of the City Council and your big mouth isn’t going to change that. By the time the Not So Great Park audit is done, the rest of the carton of eggs will be all over your face as well and especially if illegal activities are uncovered. So go ahead and keep playing the game Dan and I will keep smiling.
It may surprise you that I support current Federal laws on illegal guns. The problem with MAIG is that they support banning guns which are currently legal. The name of their group is misleading and is a lie. The name of their group should be Mayors Against Legal Guns.