USCM Mayors Letter On Gun Violence To President
June 15, 2021
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We write to congratulate you and your Administration on the steps you have already taken to address
the scourge of gun violence we face in cities across America. These include the Department of Justice’s
proposed rules to stop the proliferation of ghost guns and clarify that when individuals use accessories
to convert pistols into short-barreled rifles, they must comply with the heightened regulations on those
dangerous and easily concealable weapons; the Department’s publication of a model state red flag law;
and the prioritization of gun violence intervention efforts in the various grant programs and increased
funding to carry them out. We also applaud the actions announced by the Justice Department on May
26th that will bring together and enlist U.S. Attorneys, the Department’s law enforcement agencies and
other relevant Department components in a coordinated and comprehensive violent crime reduction
initiative.
We believe there are other steps that the federal government is uniquely qualified to take to enhance
the efforts already underway. These steps will help to reduce the epidemic of gun violence that we face
daily in our cities:
• Continue to use the platform of the Presidency to make reducing gun violence not just a law
enforcement priority, but truly a public health imperative. Stressing the importance of root
cause analysis and supporting investments in mental health, community health initiatives, our
youth – particularly efforts to help them reconnect to school and community in the aftermath of
the pandemic – as well as support for proven efforts to help returning residents transition back
into communities from incarceration are all crucial. These and other efforts to build peaceful
and vibrant neighborhoods are essential and the effective use of soft power interventions. As
you know well, we cannot police our way out of this problem, but saying it is not good enough.
As a nation, we need to take concrete, tangible steps and as our leader, your voice is critically
important in this fight.
• It is important that your Administration continue to take a leadership role in enacting
meaningful and common-sense gun control legislation. We are clear-eyed about the political
challenges, but now more than ever, we need to continue this hard but necessary work. So
many cities and towns are now dots on a map of mass shootings that could have been
prevented if there was a federal web of uniform laws on background checks, eliminating access
to guns for those who have a demonstrated history of mental illness or other disqualifying
conditions, just to name a few. The challenges that cities and states face around the
proliferation of crime guns do not respect geographic boundaries, and require a federal set of
laws. Here are some specific steps that must be taken:
o We need universal background checks and closure of simple loopholes, a ban on assault
weapons, and policies that keep guns out of the hands of people who are dangerous to
themselves and others as well as promote gun safety.
o Additionally, adequate federal enforcement of existing laws is critical, including
supporting federal efforts to investigate federally licensed gun dealers, including the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) which has been constrained
by the gun lobby. Illegal gun trafficking market originating in other states and ending up
on the streets of cities like Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, St. Louis and others is a
significant source of the gun violence in these and other cities. Interstate gun trafficking
requires a federal focus. It can never be adequately addressed by local law enforcement
alone and requires sufficient staffing.
o Additionally, every day, on social media platforms, illegal gun sales are happening
among criminals. Here again, local law enforcement has limited tools to address this
significant threat. There needs to be both regulatory and enforcement actions to bring
accountability to these social media platforms that often ignore the problem entirely
and make it difficult for local law enforcement to stop these illegal sales. The weight of
the federal government is needed to elevate this issue and demand a level of
accountability that will keep our residents safe.
o Finally, we urge this Administration to authorize the provision of resources for the
purchase of National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBN) machines and
staffing for more firearms examiners. These two elements would be important and
worthwhile investments.
We stand ready to work with you and Vice President Harris, Ambassador Susan Rice and Attorney
General Merrick Garland to see these actions implemented as quickly as possible and this administrative
and legislative agenda achieved.
Sincerely,
Nan Whaley Lori E. Lightfoot Tom Cochran
Mayor of Dayton Mayor of Chicago CEO and Executive Director
President Chair, Criminal and Social
Justice Committee
Steve Adler Muriel Bowser London Breed
Mayor of Austin Mayor of Washington, DC Mayor of San Francisco
Jane Castor Bill de Blasio Jenny Durkan
Mayor of Tampa Mayor of New York City Mayor of Seattle
Greg Fischer Kate Gallego Eric Garcetti
Mayor of Louisville Mayor of Phoenix Mayor of Los Angeles
Todd Gloria Michael B. Hancock Frank G. Jackson
Mayor of San Diego Mayor of Denver Mayor of Cleveland
Kim Janey Eric Johnson Van Johnson
Mayor of Boston Mayor of Dallas Mayor of Savannah
Tishaura Jones Tim Keller Jim Kenney
Mayor of St. Louis Mayor of Albuquerque Mayor of Philadelphia
Keisha Lance Bottoms Sam Liccardo Quinton Lucas
Mayor of Atlanta Mayor of San Jose Mayor of Kansas City (MO)
Vi Lyles Ron Nirenberg Sylvester Turner
Mayor of Charlotte Mayor of San Antonio Mayor of Houston
Ted Wheeler
Mayor of Portland (OR)
