There was an alert last weekend from the NRA-ILA about the Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) coalition set up by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  It looks as though the growing trend is for Mayors dropping out because the coalition is against legitimate gun ownership as well as illegal gun ownership.  Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann is a member of this coalition as well.  It is being recommended to send a letter to the Mayors in MAIG in order to curb the fight against legal gun ownership.  Here is a sample letter partially borrowed from thehighroad.org:

Date

Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip

Mayor Mufi Hannemann
530 S. King Street
Honolulu, HI 96813

Dear Mayor Mufi Hannemann,
As a resident of CITY and your constituent, I strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to join Mayor Bloomberg’s anti-gun “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” coalition, and remove yourself as a member.

Mayor Bloomberg and his coalition allies have misrepresented themselves to the mayors of America and its citizens. This effort is simply another attempt to shift blame for violent crime from criminals to law-abiding gun owners. This is gun control, not crime prevention.

Mr. Bloomberg’s tactics do not target illegal guns, but rather honest citizens and lawful dealers, essentially criminalizing all gun ownership. This coalition makes no distinction whatsoever between law-abiding gun owners and violent criminals.

Instead of being a part of a misguided coalition and advocating attacks against law-abiding gun owners, I ask you to direct your efforts towards strict enforcement of existing laws in our own city to ensure both our safety and civil rights.

Sincerely,
NAME

Here is the NRA-ILA alert:

When New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino--both virulently anti-gun mayors--formed a new anti-gun group a few years ago, they envisioned the creation of a powerful force to lobby for new gun control laws.  But in assembling their coalition, they failed to take two important things into account:  first, the response of gun owners to this new threat, and second, that many mayors would not take kindly to being misled regarding the real purpose of Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG.)

Over the past few years, even as they continue to claim they are only concerned with “illegal” guns, MAIG has worked to impose new restrictions on law-abiding gun owners by regulating guns shows, supporting reckless lawsuits against the firearm industry, and opposing the right of self-defense for law-abiding Americans with carry permits.  Mayor Bloomberg, who sets the agenda for this radical group, is dedicated to the passage of highly restrictive gun laws. In an appearance on “Meet the Press,” Bloomberg announced that he would raise money to counter the influence of the NRA.

But there is a growing glitch in Bloomberg’s plan.  More and more mayors are discovering the real purpose of MAIG, and are removing their names from the group’s list.  After hearing from their constituents, over 40 mayors have resigned from the group since it’s inception. 

A number of mayors have provided the same reason for leaving the group:  MAIG was not what they represented themselves to be.  In her letter of resignation, Mayor Patricia Shontz (R) of Madeira Beach, Florida wrote, “I am withdrawing because I believe the MAIG is attempting to erode all gun ownership, not just illegal guns.  Additionally, I have learned that the MAIG may be working on issues which conflict with legal gun ownership.”  She goes on to add, “It appears the MAIG has misrepresented itself to the Mayors of America and its citizens.  This is gun control, not crime prevention.”

Mayor Shontz’s concerns were echoed by Mayor Josh Nowotarski (D) of Mount Penn, Pennsylvania, who wrote, “I recently learned of the misrepresentations of the group and regret having joined in the first place.”

These sentiments were shared by a number of other mayors who have removed their name from the MAIG list. 

Is your mayor a member MAIG?  Click here to find out.

If your mayor is listed, contact the Mayor’s office and let them know the truth about MAIG and ask them to resign.  If they say they are on the list in error, let them know they need to contact MAIG and have their name removed.  If your mayor agrees that MAIG is not a group that he or she wants to belong to, encourage your mayor to resign and let NRA-ILA know that they have done so.  Help your mayor make the right choice between protecting our Second Amendment rights or continuing to be associated with those who actively oppose and undermine your firearms freedom.

Here is a follow up notice from the NRA-ILA.  Remember that Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann is still a part of this group.

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=5143

Grassroots politics is alive and well in the United States, as gun owners have been making their voices heard to their mayors. In the past few weeks, gun owners have been contacting their mayors who joined New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG).

The result:  MAIG has lost over 50 members because gun owners took action to tell their mayors the truth about this organization.  Many of the mayors who have resigned from MAIG have indicated they were unaware of the full extent of their anti-gun agenda.  They now know they were mislead by MAIG’s claims that it was only concerned with “illegal” guns.

In response to NRA-ILA’s efforts to inform voters and mayors regarding the truth about MAIG and its anti-gun agenda, Bloomberg’s group has contacted mayors repeating their claim that they are only concerned with “illegal” guns, claiming that NRA is misrepresenting their agenda.  But the facts are clear.

MAIG has never taken any direct action regarding illegal guns. (Click here to read more about MAIG.)  All of their priorities, from repealing the Tiahrt amendment, to opposing interstate Right-to-Carry reciprocity, have been targeted at law-abiding gun owners.  Law enforcement groups, like the Fraternal Order of Police, have made their support for the Tiahrt amendment clear.  The Tiahrt amendment protects not only ongoing criminal investigations, but also the lives and safety of law-enforcement officers. (To read what FOP President Chuck Canterbury wrote on the Tiahrt amendment click here.)

The real reason MAIG opposes the Tiahrt amendment is because it interferes with the efforts of anti-gun mayors like Bloomberg, Boston’s Thomas Menino (a MAIG co-founder), and Chicago’s Richard Daley to bring bogus lawsuits against lawful firearm manufacturers.  These suits are designed to punish gun makers for the acts of criminals, and to use the courts to impose strict regulations on gun sales that legislatures have rejected; gun regulations that negatively impact law-abiding gun buyers, but have no impact on criminals.

MAIG opposition to Right-to-Carry reciprocity is a clear example of their opposition to legal gun ownership and self-defense.  Reciprocity would only apply to those who have permits, and then only if all local laws are followed.  Criminals and gunrunners do not undergo background checks, take training courses, and seek certification to obtain a carry permit--law-abiding gun owners do.

Gun owners must keep up the pressure on their mayors to ensure that their rights are respected.  If your mayor is a member of MAIG, contact him and let him know the truth about this anti-gun group’s real agenda. (To find if your mayor is a member of MAIG, click here.)  If your mayor is one of those who has resigned, call and thank him for his support.