The Loudoun County Republican Committee (LCRC) this week announced it passed a resolution opposing the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG). Included within the resolution was a call for all mayors in Loudoun County to steer clear of the organization's membership.
This comes after the Times-Mirror reported in January that Purcellville Mayor Bob Lazaro had signed on with MAIG, a bipartisan group of more than 800 mayors calling on Congress to pass laws requiring every gun buyer in the U.S. to pass a criminal background check; make gun trafficking a federal crime; and ban military-style weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.
The local GOP committee's resolution specifically presses Lazaro to leave MAIG, which was co-founded by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.
Back to the question: If the LCRC isn't against illegal guns, are they for illegal guns?
LCRC Chairman Mark Sell said that's not the case. Sell told the Times-Mirror MAIG's name is a misnomer.
“It would be more accurate to be named 'Mayors Against All Guns,'” Sell said. “As the resolution states, by its actions and policy proposals, MAIG is an organization that opposes the fundamental right and Constitutionally protected freedom of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms for lawful purposes."
While the LCRC adopted the resolution Jan. 28, it opted to advertise the move with a press release Feb. 25.
A statement from the co-chairs of MAIG contradicts the LCRC viewpoint. Bloomberg and Menino say: “We support the Second Amendment and the rights of citizens to own guns. We recognize that the vast majority of gun dealers and gun owners carefully follow the law.”
Lazaro, elected in a nonpartisan election, responded to the LCRC call for his resignation from MAIG by saying he doesn't take orders from any political party organization. Lazaro said he represents the people of Purcellville, who've showed him widespread support.
Speaking of LCRC, Lazaro said the group tries to censure anyone they disagree with, including Gov. Bob McDonnell.
“It's funny the party of individual liberty and freedom chooses to censure any one person they disagree with,” Lazaro said.
Lazaro joined MAIG in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
“As a father and as an uncle, signing on to this was a no-brainer,” Lazaro said in early January.
The LCRC resolution points out that Leesburg Mayor Kristen Umstattd and Hamilton Mayor Greg Wilmoth declined to join MAIG.
In January Umstattd said MAIG didn't get to the core issue of gun violence.
“Sadly missing from the MAIG action plan is any mention of the need to enhance security in our schools and how we will pay for that,” Umstattd said. “The NRA has immense fundraising abilities and needs to put them to use in raising money for school systems that need to upgrade their security. As a Life Member of the NRA, I would hope that the organization will take school security as seriously as it takes political campaigns.”
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Doesn’t the LCRC Chair, Mark Sell, work for the NRA?
Guns per capita in the United States are like no other country on earth. Guns per capita in the UK, for example, are ten percent of guns per capita in the United States. In 2011 murders from guns in DC, a city of 630,000, were more; murders from guns in the UK, a country of 63 million, were less. You can live in a country like that. All it takes is serious gun control.
Okay….why is it a bad thing to ban military style guns and high capacity gun clips? They aren’t telling you that you can’t have a gun. And Umstattd is talking about having the NRA fork over some of it’s cash to pay for the extra cops we’d have to hire to have them at all the schools. Great suggestion by the NRA—-costs us all more money so somebody can own a military style gun for what purpose? Good for Larazo for telling the LCRC to take a hike. Honestly the real core of the issue is mental health but the public doesn’t want to put out any money for that. Perhaps the NRA should educate gun owners to be more careful with their guns so their mentally unstable children or immature children don’t get ahold of the guns and ammo and start shooting themselves and others——or would that be against the 2nd amendment, too?
I’m not too sure about the LCRC but if these mayors are against illegal guns, then only illegal guns should be targeted.
A gun in a law abiding citizen’s hand is legal. A gun in a felon’s or murderer’s is not.
I would like to suggest that they concentrate on becoming more like Mayors Against Guns Used Illegally and not try to make more felons by defining the possession of a magazine clip with 11 rounds as being illegal.
They should be targeting crime and criminals, not trying to manufacture more of them by legal definitions.
Jeanne - do you mind if your taxes are raised to afford to put police in all of Loudoun’s schools?
MAIG is against illegal guns. They also happen to support sensible gun control. The argument that Mayor Umstattd used that she can’t support a group who’s name she find misleading might be the most embarrassing statement I’ve ever heard from a public official.
The correct acronym should be MAITCGI (Mayors Against Individuals That Carry Guns Illegally).
LCRART - Loudoun County Republicans Against Rational Thought
This group’s right to carry a lot of weapons without any regulations trumps a kid’s right to live, I guess.
“Back to the question: If the LCRC isn’t against illegal guns, are they for illegal guns?”
This statements asserts that MAIG is the sole decision maker on what constitutes an illegal gun
Yes, “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” is a misnomer, and misleading. The mayors must really think the citizens are stupid. Why don’t the mayors propose putting police officers (or even qualified armed veterans, or armed teachers) at the front doors of schools)?
No one wants criminals to have guns (which they are more than likely to have stolen), and it is ludicrous to even suggest this. And what does this accomplish, exactly? Absolutely nothing. Gun control will not stop criminals from obtaining guns.
FTA: “Sadly missing from the MAIG action plan is any mention of the need to enhance security in our schools and how we will pay for that,” Umstattd said. “The NRA has immense fundraising abilities and needs to put them to use in raising money for school systems that need to upgrade their security. As a Life Member of the NRA, I would hope that the organization will take school security as seriously as it takes political campaigns.”
What is Umstattd talking about? The NRA has proposed putting police officers in schools, and gun-control advocates rejected that idea. As an NRA member she should know this. What specific “security” measures does Umstattd propose other than putting police at the doors of these gun-free hunting preserves?
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