Tucson Mayor Romero Signs Gun Safety Pledge

Flanked by a sea of gun safety advocates, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero signed a gun safety pledge to support background checks, red flag laws and a ban on large gun magazines.

Romero joined other elected officials and community members to announce her official joining of Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), a bipartisan coalition of mayors fighting to end gun violence nationwide. MAIG is a program of Everytown for Gun Safety.

She was joined by Police Chief Chris Magnus, former Congressman Ron Barber, City Council Member Steve Kozachik, Joshua Ashton of March for Our Lives, Ruben Reyes for Congressman Raul Grijalva, and Pam Simon, a survivor of the January 8, 2011, mass shooting in Tucson.

“I want to show that in the absence of state and federal action, our cities will act,” she said. “We deserve to live free of fear, to pray, to go to the movies, and for children to go to school to focus on learning and not having fear.”

“I will advocate for gun safety legislation at the local, state and federal levels. The vast majority of Americans, including gun owners, support common-sense gun safety legislation, such as universal background checks, red flag laws, and bans on extended gun magazines and military-grade assault weapons.”

“This is a public health concern,” she said. “Firearms are the second leading cause of death for teens and children in Arizona. In Arizona alone, gun deaths have increased by 9% from 2008 to 2017. Pima County has the top gun death rate among the top three biggest counties in the state.”

“We must be proactive. We do not need to wait for federal legislation to act locally. This includes fighting our own state, to keep our gun buyback program that the state legislature forced our city to terminate,” she said.

Pam Simon appeared for Moms Demand Gun Sense in America, whose members stood behind Romero in their eye-catching red T-shirts. “There is no question that we have an epidemic in our country,” she said. “Over 100 people every day die by gun violence. It is a public health concern.”

Ron Barber, the District Director for Congress Member Ann Kirkpatrick said she introduced two bills to expand background checks and to reduce the size of gun magazines. The House passed both bills, but Senator Mitch McConnell has failed to act on them.

“McConnell has refused to take action on the bills for 315 days,” said Ruben Reyes, Director Director for Congressman Raul Grijalva. “Meanwhile people in Houston, Jersey City and Dayton continue to die.”

“Fuck the NRA”

Councilman Steve Kozachik was blunt. “We have a bunch of craven politicians on the state and federal levels who are bought and paid for by the NRA.  In contrast, we have 6 million in Moms Demand Gun Action. Fuck the NRA. We need to say this group has more huevos and ovaries than the federal or state legislators,” he said.

“40 thousand people are killed by gun violence each year,” he said. “This country is insane when it comes to guns.” He called on the County Supervisors to fight the state legislature and to implement background checks at the notorious Pima County gun show. “They might get pushback from the state, they should fight that fight,” he said. See
Pima Supervisors Endorse Background Checks in Gun Sales.

Police working with ATF

Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus said his officers work with the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to solve crimes committed with the same gun. The ATF has a network allowing police to compare guns and casings from crime scenes. It solved three shootings that occurred within 90 minutes — all committed with the same gun.

“Last year, 49 police officers were killed across the nation. We continue to see how easy it is for troubled individuals to get firearms of all kinds. The issue of gun safety continues to be a top priority for Tucson police,” Magnus said.

The Tucson Police have taken a step further, requiring officers to keep firearms and ammunition safely secured in their homes and personal vehicles. “Time and time again, we see that police-issued firearms are stolen out of their vehicles and used in crimes,” he said.

Magnus is a member of the Major City Police Chiefs Association, which has been a strong advocate for sensible gun policy for years. The Association supports mandatory reporting of all sales, transfers, and thefts of firearms. The group also seeks tougher penalties and aggressive prosecutions of straw purchases of guns.

“The challenges we face to reduce gun violence are so daunting,” he said. “It is encouraging to see the mayor and council are out front on this issue.”