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Alameda Mayor Signs Letter Seeking Stronger Gun Control

Marie Gilmore joins scores of mayors in asking Obama to "make it harder for dangerous people to own guns."

Alameda Mayor Marie Gilmore signed a letter to President Obama Wednesday as part of a group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, calling for tighter gun control laws and other steps — notably appointing an official to fill a top enforcement post that has been vacant for six years..

The letter Gilmore signed noted that "the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the federal agency responsible for enforcing our gun laws, has gone without a confirmed director for more than six years."

Gilmore's group sent out its note on the same day that the U.S. Conference of Mayors wrote to the President and Congress with a similar agenda that called for three specific actions:

  • Enact legislation to ban assault weapons and other high-capacity magazines being prepared by Senator Dianne Feinstein and others; 
  • Strengthen the national background check system and eliminate loopholes in it; and 
  • Strengthen the penalties for straw purchases of guns. 

"We know that preventing gun violence – whether it is a mass shooting in a school or a murder on a street corner – will take much more than strengthening our gun laws," the Conference of Mayors letter says. "We need to reverse the culture of violence in our nation so that a violent act isn’t the first response to settling a difference or compensating for a wrong."

But gun control laws shouldn't wait for other improvements to happen first, the letter says.

The two letters come less than a week after a . It goes on to say that Congress should increase funding for mental health care and establish a commission to look at violence in the country as a whole.

Download the letter Gilmore signed here [PDF].

Download the Conference letter here [PDF].

What do you think of the Mayor's position?

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Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Jeff Mark May 19, 2013 at 12:34 am
Or we could wait until just watching them isn't enough of a thrill...
Jeff Mark May 19, 2013 at 12:17 am
Fine, call the non-emergency number, but call. I strongly disagree with the above. I think callingRead More the couples "exhibitionists" is totally unfair. What they're doing is reasonably normal; what he's doing is, well... At the risk of making a possibly extreme comparison, this is how "Son of Sam" started; first he stalked couples making out in the back seats of their cars, then he started shooting them. Someone needs to talk to this guy. Someone with a badge.
Craig Long May 18, 2013 at 11:56 pm
Also, I don't think it is a matter for the authorities anyway. I'm not so sure who would be at faultRead More here, the exhibitionist, or the peeper.
Jeff Mark May 18, 2013 at 10:28 pm
I think this headline is unfairly worded. I think Webster St. is, for example, substantiallyRead More "cleaner" (whatever that means) than it was, say, fifteen or twenty years ago. We need to give credit for that. What Gavin would seem to be looking for might, I aver, be more appropriately called "gentrification", a trend that has its unfortunate side, but does bring in the Pasta Pomodoros and the Jamba Juices. Actually, I would expect to see stores like that more at soon-to-be-Alameda Landing, but perhaps that's another discussion.
http://youtu.be/RhRFhyneFcw
Vicster May 18, 2013 at 08:36 am
I'm so glad he hadn't wandered away! I bike home from the ferry along Santa Clara and I kept an eyeRead More out for him. Sounds like he had himself a nice time, the cheeky monkey!
Analisa Harangozo (Editor) May 17, 2013 at 05:51 pm
Yay! I'm glad! Thanks for the update Suzanne.
Suzanne Chenier May 17, 2013 at 05:48 pm
Found!!! He followed me into my downstairs neighbor's house. I went to borrow some eggs. My neighborRead More was at work. I didn't know he followed me in, didn't see or hear him, got the eggs and left. I called that brat for over three hours. He raided my neighbor's garbage can and a bachelor nap on his sofa! Yay. I'm glad he's home and safe. Thank you everyone.
Lion's Mane May 18, 2013 at 03:31 pm
Good point, Gevin! Forgot about the dog park!! Recently a woman with a big, off-leash Rott stoodRead More by and watched him take a huge dump at the water's edge, then she continued on her way without cleaning it up. The park police got here in time and paid her a visit, and she was none to happy about that...made my day. Unfortunately, a family with 2 little kiddos set up their blanket right in front of the Rottie's toilet spot shortly after she walked away, and I'm sure the kids were all over it. The no-dogs allowed ruling was probably inspired, at least in part, by irresponsible pet owners like her.
Gevin Says May 18, 2013 at 12:54 pm
Especially since there is a special DOG PARK just for your little Poopsie to play too!
Gevin Says May 18, 2013 at 01:08 pm
I would say it's the school's responsibility, but it all starts at home. How you are raised, howRead More you act, and how children around you watch how you act. If you do something wrong, and a child see's it, they may think it's okay to do it since they saw a grown up do it.
jason schabert May 17, 2013 at 12:01 am
sorry but the photo wasn't uploaded
Kimberlee MacVicar May 17, 2013 at 02:36 pm
Thanks for the info about your experience. I'm starting to hear the same story from about 7 peopleRead More now and I'm sure there are more. Store has been closed all week. Still no sign on the door. At a loss as to what to do to find out what's going on or what to do next.
bette page May 17, 2013 at 07:01 am
Good luck with that. I stopped patronizing them a year ago after some shifty practices with my highRead More end items: wouldn't give me a receipt and then my items sat untagged for three weeks. Completely missed the xmas shopping season.
photo originally posted by Dennis Domingo
Analisa Harangozo (Editor) May 15, 2013 at 07:15 pm
Carol, posted this on Facebook and got some responses so far:Read More https://www.facebook.com/AlamedaPatch/posts/666500700043838?comment_id=32723444&offset=0&total_comments=2
An accident occurred Monday, May 13 on Westline/8th Street turning into Crown Beach. Credit: Jessica McMahon
Carol Parker May 15, 2013 at 11:02 am
It is really dangerous coming out of the dog park/tennis court parking lot. We never try to turnRead More left coming out of it, always right - and even then you have to be super careful because cars just come speeding down the street.