New Haven Mayor John DeStefano spoke for the nation’s cities Friday as soon as the National Rifle Association stopped talking. His message: You’ve got to be kidding.
DeStefano made his remarks in a statement circulated by the National League of Cities, over which he used to preside.
The statement was issued in reaction to a press conference held by the executive vice-president of the NRA, breaking the NRA’s silence in the aftermath of the Newtown school massacre. The NRA, which has dominated the political discussion and lawmaking in America on gun control, has found itself in the uncharacteristic position of defense; the massacre has led politicians of both parties to call for new gun-control measures. NRA Executive Vice-President Wayne LaPierre offered his group’s response at the Friday press conference: It called for placing armed police officers in every school in the country. Guns weren’t to blame for the massacre in Newtown, he argued; the media and video games were. (Click here for Christine Stuart’s full account.)
The NLC released the following statement from DeStefano, who has been emerging as a national voice for increased gun control in Newtown’s wake:
“Today at 9:30 am all across Connecticut a moment of silence was held for the Newtown tragedy as a way to move forward. Unfortunately the National Rifle Association shortly thereafter held a press conference and used it as a time to look backward. Rather than contributing to the national conversation on the easy availability of high-powered weapons, the NRA ignored the overarching issue of gun violence in our communities and instead blamed everyone else — the media, the schools and now are following a line of logic that would have us arm our teachers.
“The NRA’s statements were tone deaf to the national mood and ignore the reality that this is not just a school shooting issue. Every day in cities across this nation, residents wake up to media accounts of shootings, robberies and other issues involving guns. The nation has seen shootings in movie theaters and even on an Army base.
“Our nation needs serious answers and today’s press conference had a very clear message — that the NRA doesn’t want to be part of a meaningful solution. The NLC looks forward to engaging on the issue and working to ensure a comprehensive effort to reduce violent acts.”