Their message is clear: curb violence and mass shootings by bolstering gun control.
It's a dispatch Peekskill Mayor Mary Fosterr—along with hundreds of other mayors from around the nation—are sending to President Barack Obama in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that left 20 children and six adults dead.
Foster and about 750 other mayors from both sides of the aisle have signed a letter sent to the White House imploring the Commander in Chief to take concrete steps to better secure firearms.
"As mayors, we are charged with keeping our communities safe," the missive reads. "But too many of us have sat with mothers and fathers of children killed with guns."
"On Friday, December 14th, the entire nation watched as parents stood outside the Sandy Hook Elementary School and waited, desperately hoping to be reunited with their children," the letter continues.
Among the changes proposed in the letter are criminal background checks for all gun buyers, taking high-capacity magazines off streets and making gun trafficking a federal crime.
"Our constituents are... outraged and looking for leadership from the White House," the band of mayors concludes. "We look forward to working with you to find a solution to gun violence in our country."
The coalition—Mayors Against Illegal Guns—also has the support of 700,000 Americans and 100 survivors of gun violence.
Other Lower Hudson Valley mayors who have signed on include politicos from Ossining, New Rochelle, White Plains, South Nyack and Piermont.
I am tired of hearing about crime in Peekskill...I petitioned the police last year to set up patrols in my neighborhood after I witnessed a drug deal in front of my house...never got a response and only see a PD vehicles when something is wrong.
"Gun-related violent crimes drop as sales soar in Va" http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/central-virginia/gun-related-violent-crimes-drop-as-gun-sales-soar-in/article_54cca13a-35ee-11e2-83f0-0019bb30f31a.html
If you want to own a gun, pay higher tax which will be used for providing security to schools & public places If you are under the age of 35 and have the adrenalin to own a gun, serve the army corps and shoot moving target in a real environment Police and Law enforcement instead of charging innocent people for small felony of suspended registration and lack of insurance, focus on retrieving 270 million guns floating around and put a RFID to each gun and when you see that it is being located near public areas with more than 10 people make sure your system is alerted.
But the NRA proved that I'm a dreamer. Their solution of armed officers in every school is beyond stupid. If we were to take it seriously, then we'd also need to have armed officers on every school bus, in every mall, every movie theater, skating rink and every event, including your child's birthday party. How ridiculous is that? If you acknowledge that people with guns are the problem, then why would you bring more guns into the environment? Why not burn your house down so that it would be safe from a forest fire? That makes just as much sense. I resigned my membership from the NRA years ago when they refused to take a stand against cop killer bullets and now I ask anyone who is a member to resign theirs.