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April 13, 2007
Targeting Illegal Handguns to Keep Milwaukee Safe
Dear Friends:
Earlier this week I traveled to Chicago to attend the Great Lakes Gun Summit and deliver one simple message: illegal guns and the thugs who use them have no place on Milwaukee's streets.
The conference brought together police chiefs, ATF agents, community activists, elected officials and state Departments of Justice from across our region. Participants shared ideas, strategies and experiences on how to stem the flow of illegal guns into our cities.
This effort to stop illegal gun trafficking must not be confused with an agenda to take guns from law abiding citizens, or to shut down legitimate gun dealers. This is not a Second Amendment issue.
This is about saving young lives and futures in cities like Milwaukee. It's about the freedom of a grandmother to sit on her front porch this summer and not have to worry about a drive-by shooting; or the freedom of a young child to play on a playground and not get caught in gang crossfire. This is about saving family, friends and neighbors from attending yet another funeral of a 20-year old killed by an illegal gun.
These are the stakes, and that's why we need to target illegal handguns in Milwaukee.
From where I sit, there is no reason why a teenager should have access to a handgun. We must require background checks for every handgun sale – regardless of where or when that transaction occurs. And local law enforcement must have access to gun crime trace data.
Renewed Local-Federal Partnership
Last year Milwaukee Police took more than 2,400 guns off the streets, but we could be so much more effective if the federal government would refocus its attention on crime and violence in America's cities.
The current Administration has pursued multi-jurisdictional solutions to counter terrorism, illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs. In contrast, the illegal interstate gun trade has not received the same attention.
In fact, this Administration has made it more difficult for local authorities to access gun tracing information.
During the 1990's, through the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Policing Services (COPS) program, the federal government allocated almost $1 billion every year to provide grants to state and local police departments across the country. These critical investments put more cops on the streets and implemented policing tactics that have been widely hailed for their success in reducing crime and violence.
That federal commitment no longer exists. In 2005, the Administration committed just $5 million to COPS grants for local departments, a tremendous decrease.
Mayors, local officials and community leaders serve on the front lines in the fight against illegal guns and crime. We are the ones who take the calls each time a resident falls victim to gun violence.
If we could restore the local-federal partnership to fight crime and violence, we would vastly increase our ability to get illegal guns and the criminals who use them out of our neighborhoods and behind bars where they belong.
Working with dedicated partners in Washington like U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, Congresswoman Gwen Moore and Sen. Russ Feingold, I will continue to press for restored COPS funding and the reversal of ill-conceived gun tracing policies. And I will continue to urge the State Legislature in Madison to adopt responsible, common sense gun legislation.
These are important steps in my unyielding mission to make Milwaukee safer and stronger.
Sincerely,
Mayor |