Politics & Government

Mayor Hanauer to Obama: Bolster Gun Control

Ossining's William Hanauer signs letter, pleads with White House to help curb mass shootings.

Their message is clear: curb violence and mass shootings by bolstering gun control.

It's a dispatch Ossining Mayor William Hanauer—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.

Hanuer 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.

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"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.

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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 New Rochelle, White Plains, South Nyack and Piermont.


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