Mayor Menino statement in response to NRA Presser

The NRA broke their silence on Friday, speaking out on gun control in America and calling for armed police in schools across America. The NRA also announced a new program, the National School Shield Program, to be led by Congressman Asa Hutchinson.

The following is a statement of Mayor Thomas M. Menino, in response to the National Rifle Association Press Conference.

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“There is an outpouring of voices demanding real change to make our communities safer. Clearly the NRA’s leadership is not one of them. What they announced today is not a plan, but a ploy to bring more guns into our neighborhoods. I don’t believe the answer to gun violence is more guns. The American people are tired of the same buzzwords and rhetoric that have moved this debate nowhere and put lives at risk. It’s time for a common sense national gun policy. It’s time to take action on background checks, assault weapons, high capacity magazines, missing mental health records and closing private sales loopholes. There is so much work to do; we don’t have time for rehashed and tired ideas. The American people and the families of the 34 people killed every day by gun violence demand nothing less.”