Standing behind a cache of recently confiscated fire arms, Mayor Mark Funkhouser will join city officials and fellow Mayors from across the metro to announce his intention to join the National Coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The press conference will be today, August 5, at 11:45 a.m. outside Police Headquarters, 1125 Locust.
Mayor Funkhouser will be joined by Councilmember Cathy Jolly, Chair of the Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee and Chief of Police Jim Corwin, as well as several area mayors who are already members of the coalition: Mayor Joe Reardon of Kansas City, Kansas; Mayor William Rodgers of Edwardsville, Kansas; and Mayor Carl Wilkes of Merriam, Kansas.
“I think people will be shocked when they see – all piled up in one place – the kind of illegal fire power our police have removed from the hands of criminals,” Mayor Funkhouser said. “But I want people to see these guns to underscore the importance of cities and city officials working together to reduce illegal gun violence.”
Mayor’s Against Illegal Guns was formed in 2006 by Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston and Mayor Bloomberg of New York City to allow mayors from across the country to work together to find innovative new ways to reduce illegal gun violence. The Coalition's bipartisan ranks have now grown to over 300 mayors from more than 40 states, and its statement of principles has been endorsed by major national organizations such as the US Conference of Mayors and the National Conference of Black Mayors.
Mayors typically join the coalition by signing its statement of principles. However, Mayor Funkhouser will be co-sponsoring with Councilmember Jolly a resolution which would direct the Mayor to join the coalition by signing its principles. The resolution will be formally introduced at the City Council Legislative Session this Thursday.
“As a former assistant prosecutor, I’ve seen the damage illegal guns can do to communities,” Councilmember Jolly said. “Now, as chair of Public Safety and Neighborhoods, I appreciate that the Mayor is taking this a step further and asking for City Council support in joining the coalition. This is a step we can take together as a city in our ongoing effort to ensure the safety of Kansas Citians.”
Mayor Funkhouser has also invited other mayors from across the metro area to join the coalition, some of whom may be attending the press event this afternoon.
The announcement will be made in conjunction with the 25th Annual National Night Out Against Crime, in which thousands of communities across the nation will host crime prevention and awareness events this evening.
For more information, please contact Joe Miller in the Mayor’s Office, 816-513-3508. To learn more about Mayors Against Illegal Guns, visit their website at
www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org
