While there are always two more mayors willing to grandstand gun control by joining NYC Mayor Michael Blowhard’s coalition for each one that leaves, it’s still indicative that the motives — the real goal — of “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” is far greater than just getting guns out of the hands of criminals. Eventually it is to ban civilian possession or at least to make the hurdles to ownership as prohibitive as they are in New York City. From the Indianapolis Star:

Carmel [Indiana] Mayor Jim Brainard is one of about five mayors in the nation who recently withdrew from an anti-gun coalition headed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The nonpartisan coalition created last year includes more than 200 mayors nationwide. It was created to stem the flow of illegal guns into cities and to repeal federal legislation that restricts local police from accessing federal trace data to see where guns used for illegal purposes are purchased the most.
Brainard said he initially joined because he was told that the coalition’s main goal was to “get guns out of the hands of convicted felons.”

[…]
. . .”There’s a lot of confusion on what the coalition was and was not doing,” Brainard said Monday in a telephone interview.

“(Bloomberg’s) change (in party) is indicative of how the coalition is changing its political stance. I like him but there was confusion about what this coalition was about,” said Brainard.

In related news, Blowhard’s sidekick, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is “declaring war on illegal guns.” Again, I guess. From the Boston Herald:

Mayor Thomas M. Menino today declared war on illegal guns as the grandmother of Laquarrie “Cory” Jefferson and the 7-year-old cousin who accidentally shot him to death mourned the tragic accident.

“This is war,” said Menino, adding that the NRA should take some of the blame for blocking efforts to stem the flow of illegal guns into the city.

Elaine Gadson said her grandsons were playing with a loaded gun Sunday night.

Laquarrie’s mother, Lakeisha Gadson, flanked by her sister, Antonia Gadson, who is the mother of the 7-year-old who shot Laquarrie, read a brief statement today.

“I ask for forgivness,” she said, choking back tears and she told reporters of the “emotional crisis” that ensued after her son’s death.

Gadson admitted to police yesterday that the family lied to police, blaming the shooting on an armed home invasion at their Seaver Street apartment.

So let me get this straight: Gadson allowed, or knew, there was a loaded gun laying around or if not that, apparently wasn’t supervising the kids closely and one of them shot the other. Then, she lied to the police and claimed it was done by an intruder. And for all of this, the NRA is partly to blame? How about holding the baby-sitter, Gadson, responsible?

Update 6/28: Michael Graham of the Boston Herald reads Menino the riot act:

Blaming the NRA for the death of Liquarry Jefferson is like blaming the American Cutlery Institute for the O.J. Simpson murders. Even the most ardent gun control advocate must admit that, for most of little Liquarry’s life, the least of his worries was the state of America’s gun laws.

Liquarry’s world consisted of an unwed mother who is also a repeat, violent offender; a convicted killer for a father; a 15-year-old half-brother already busted for gun possession - the son of a convict who recently beat a murder rap; various siblings from sundry fathers; and a community that looked at this dysfunctional mess and thought nothing of it.

That’s the family Mayor Menino visited and offered comfort to. That’s the family that social worker Nia Sue Mitchum described as “beautiful - she’s a good mother.”

If that’s a good family, could someone in the mayor’s office please tell me what it takes to be a bad one?

The mayor doesn’t want to talk about the reckless, outrageous and (in my opinion) criminally negligent behavior of this shabby gang. Instead, it’s “hugs for thugs” from Menino and nasty notes to the NRA and Congress.

Now THAT’s a fisking!