Washington, DC—Today, the Executive Committee of the United States Conference of Mayors held an emergency session to address the unending gun violence and evil that continues to claim the lives of countless innocent Americans, including our children, and issued the following statement:
“In the aftermath of the most recent mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, the nation’s mayors stand united across party lines to say enough is enough. We refuse to allow the passage of time to relieve the pressure on Congress to act. Unless our elected officials in Washington finally take this crisis seriously, this plague will soon hit another American city and more precious lives will be lost.
“There is no question that we can reduce gun violence in America without infringing on people’s rights. This should not require courage, but simply a willingness to open one’s eyes to the carnage taking place every day.
“Today we reaffirm our strong support for the two bills that have passed the House and are pending in the Senate: The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 1446). Next week, more than 170 mayors will be convening in Reno, Nevada for the Conference’s 90th Annual Meeting where we will discuss further actions that our nation, and especially the United States Congress, must take.”
Members of the United States Conference of Mayors Executive Committee:
Francis X. Suarez
Mayor of Miami, FL
President
Hillary Schieve
Mayor of Reno, NV
Second Vice President
Elizabeth Kautz
Mayor of Burnsville, MN
Past President
Bryan Barnett
Mayor of Rochester Hills, MI
Past President
Greg Fischer
Mayor of Louisville, KY
Past President
Steve Adler
Mayor of Austin, TX
J. Christian Bollwage
Mayor of Elizabeth, NJ
James Brainard
Mayor of Carmel, IN
LaToya Cantrell
Mayor of New Orleans, LA
Jane Castor
Mayor of Tampa, FL
Joy Cooper
Mayor of Hallandale Beach, FL
T.M. Franklin ‘Frank’ Cownie
Mayor of Des Moines, IA
Hardie Davis, Jr.
Mayor of Augusta, GA
Jorge O. Elorza
Mayor of Providence, RI
John Giles
Mayor of Mesa, AZ
Andrew J. Ginther
Mayor of Columbus, OH
David Holt
Mayor of Oklahoma City, OK
Lori E. Lightfoot
Mayor of Chicago
Sylvester Turner
Mayor of Houston, TX
Quinton Lucas
Chair, Criminal and Social Justice Committee
Mayor of Kansas City, MO
Tom Cochran
CEO and Executive Director