Mayor Emanuel and Regional Mayors Call for Stronger Gun Control Regulation

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Mayor Rahm Emanuel gathered with mayors, village presidents and law enforcement officials from communities throughout the Chicago region to call for stronger gun regulations and encourage other city leaders to join Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition of city leaders dedicated to making America's cities safer by cracking down on illegal guns.

“In order to protect our children, our families and our communities, we need common-sense gun-control legislation,” said Mayor Emanuel.  “To provide the residents of our cities with the safety they deserve, we need criminal background checks on all gun sales, a comprehensive assault weapons ban, and a ban on high-capacity magazines meant for the battlefield, not America’s streets.  I urge other city leaders from throughout our state and the country to join our cause.”

“Especially in light of the recent tragedy in Newtown, more and more mayors are demanding swift action to end the epidemic of gun violence in this country,” said Mark Glaze, Director of Mayor’s Against Illegal Guns. “We are excited to welcome our newest member mayors from Illinois, and we look forward to working with them and Mayor Emanuel to keep our communities safe from illegal guns.”

Mayor Emanuel was joined by:

• Mayor Arlene Mulder of Arlington Heights,IL
• Mayor Teresa Kernc of Diamond,IL
• Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl of Evanston,IL
• Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson of Gary,IN
• Mayor Eugene Williams of Lynwood,IL
• Mayor Henderson Yarbrough of Maywood,IL
• Village President Jessica Tucker of Winnetka,IL
• Village President Sam Pulia of Westchester, IL

Mayors Against Illegal Guns is a coalition of more than 800 mayors that advocates for commonsense federal, state and local gun control laws. In the past week, Mayor Emanuel has recruited 23 mayors and city leaders from the Chicago region and Illinois to join the coalition.  These include:

1. Tom Karaba, Village President,Clarendon Hills
2. Eugene Williams, Mayor, Lynwood
3. William Rodeghier, Village President, Western Springs
4. Sam Pulia, Village President, Westchester
5. Bob Straz, Mayor, Palos Heights
6. Laurel Lunt Prussing, Mayor, Urbana
7. Don DeGraff, Mayor, South Holland
8. Stephan K. Pickett, Village President, Sleepy Hollow
9. Alvin Parks Jr., Mayor, East St, Louis
10. Beniamino Mazzulla, Mayor Stone Park
11. Gerald Bennet, Mayor, Palos Hills
12. Larry Hartwig, Mayor, Addison
13. Roger Byrne, Village President, Vernon Hills
14. Michael Gorman, Village President, Riverside
15. Thomas A. Brown, Mayor, East Hazel Crest
16. Gerald C. Turry, Mayor, Lincolnwood
17. Rick Reinbold, Village President, Richton Park
18. Fred Gougler, Village President, Northfield
19. Kerry Durkin, Village President, Glenwood
20. Jessica Tucker, Village President, Winnetka
21. Teresa Kernc, Mayor, Diamond
22. Suzanne Branding, Village President, Lake Zurich
23. Harriet Rosenthal, Mayor, Deerfield

The Mayors who joined Mayor Emanuel today have witnessed firsthand the damage that crime guns can cause a community.

“When we see the devastation in communities like Newtown, CT and Gary, Indiana, I am reminded of how pervasive the problem of gun violence is and how complex the solution must be.  One substantial step towards addressing this plague is a federal ban on assault weapons,” said Mayor Freeman-Wilson “This call should be joined by a wide spectrum of communities across America because we understand every day that there is no legitimate reason for the use of assault weapons by any law-abiding member of society. I am calling on President Obama and the members of the U.S. congress to make this a priority.”

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