Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) said Sunday that a gun violence campaign he’s launching will be focused on regulation instead of gun control or bans, adding that the NRA has “created fear” in the minds of members of Congress.
{mosads}“We need to make the Congress understand that the vast preponderance of the public does not want criminals, minors or people with psychiatric problems to be able to buy guns,” he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “And we’ve gotta make Congress understand that and vote that way.”
Bloomberg plans to spend $50 million of his own money to fight gun violence.
“We need to make the National Rifle Association afraid of us,” he has said.
“What the NRA has focused on is making Congress afraid of them, in spite of the public wanting rational background checks for gun shows and Internet sales,” he said Sunday.
“There already are nationwide gun — requirements for background checks on guns sold through stores. But for Internet sales and gun show sales, we’ve gotta make sure that the congressman understand the vast bulk of Americans want them to vote for sensible gun regulation.
“Not control, not banning, just regulation. And this is true of gun owners as well as non-gun owners. Eighty percent of all gun owners think we should do this,” he said.
Bloomberg said the NRA has “created fear” in the minds of congressmen, saying the organization will “hurt your reelection.”
“And we’ve got to answer that by saying, ‘No, quite the contrary. The public’s not gonna vote for you unless you do something to protect them and their kids.’ ”