Who We Are
Gun violence is a serious threat to public safety and it affects communities across the country. Leaders in these communities are all too familiar with the toll gun violence takes and have an essential role to play in addressing it.
In 2006, then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and then-Boston Mayor Thomas Menino founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns as an original coalition of 15 mayors. The coalition has since grown to a bipartisan group of more than 2,000 current and former mayors from the smallest towns to the biggest cities in nearly every state.
Our mayors are leaders in advocating for life-saving gun safety reforms from local programs to state and federal legislation.
Co-Chairs
Mayors Against Illegal Guns welcomes 9 co-chairs to join founding chair Mike Bloomberg as leaders of the coalition. The co-chairs include: Baltimore, Maryland Mayor Brandon Scott; Chattanooga, Tennessee Mayor Tim Kelly; Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas; Mount Vernon, New York Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard; New York, New York Mayor Eric Adams; Former Stockton, California Mayor Michael Tubbs; St. Louis, Missouri Mayor Tishaura Jones; Tampa, Florida Mayor Jane Castor; and Tucson, Arizona Mayor Regina Romero.
Statement of Principles
Every mayor who joins the coalition is asked to sign the following statement of principles:
Whereas: As mayors, our problems may look different from town to town, but we are united in our duty to do everything we can to protect our residents from the threat of gun violence;
Whereas: Every year, nearly 40,000 Americans are killed with guns and 85,000 Americans are shot and wounded as a result of gun assaults, unintentional shootings, attempted gun suicides and shootings by law enforcement, devastating families and communities across the country, with a disproportionate impact on Black and Latino/a/x people;
Now, therefore, we resolve to work together to advance the following principles:
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Collect and publish data to better understand gun violence in our communities.
Analyze trends in gun suicides, homicides, and non-fatal injuries over time, and map gun violence incidents to identify the communities, neighborhoods, and individuals most impacted. Publish data on gun violence, including police violence, routinely so that community members and researchers alike can easily access and learn from it.
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Center racial equity in our efforts to reduce gun violence.
Advance policies and practices that prioritize communities disproportionately impacted by gun violence, understanding the deeper systemic issues that are impacting these communities.
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Advocate for gun safety legislation at the local, state, and federal level.
Support life-saving gun violence prevention laws like background checks on all gun sales, domestic violence firearm relinquishment, and Red Flag laws; and oppose harmful laws, like Stand Your Ground, permitless carry, guns in schools, and state preemption.
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Advance policies and practices that reduce firearm suicides and unintentional shootings.
Raise public awareness and advance education about the risks of firearm access; encourage the responsible storage of firearms to prevent access by children; and create mechanisms to temporarily remove firearms from households with individuals in crisis.
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Invest in survivor services and community-based violence intervention programs.
Help heal communities and disrupt cycles of violence by investing in comprehensive services for survivors and support the integration of community-based violence intervention programs into public safety strategies.
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Advance enforcement strategies that ensure public safety for residents.
Support evidence-based, intelligence-led policing that focuses on preventing violence among those at highest risk of shooting or being shot and promote the enforcement of existing gun laws that have swift and certain consequences.
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Defend our democracy from armed intimidation.
Promote the enforcement of laws against unlawful carrying, brandishment and armed intimidation, with a specific focus on the armed extremists who have abridged civil rights or sought to intimidate democratic institutions.
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Implement comprehensive tracing of crime guns.
Encourage police to trace all suspected crime guns to identify the sources of firearms, to develop leads, and to identify potential traffickers. Target illegal supply, including holding accountable irresponsible gun dealers who knowingly sell to straw purchasers and the criminals who traffic in illegal guns.
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Bring an end to unauthorized shootings by police and hold law enforcement accountable.
Work to institute a strong use of force legal standard as well as a thorough and independent system for reviewing use of force incidents; train officers to prioritize de-escalation and focus on building community trust; implement tools for officers at risk of misconduct; and introduce transparency around policies, procedures, and the use of force by police.
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Use the courts to advance gun safety.
Challenge dangerous gun lobby sponsored laws that limit the ability of cities to advance gun violence prevention in their communities and fight in court to defend local gun safety ordinances against preemption and Second Amendment challenges.
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Use purchasing power to improve gun safety.
Encourage businesses to implement gun sense policies, including by using municipal purchasing, investing, and bond issuing power to incentivize businesses large and small to adopt reforms that keep their customers – and our communities – safer.
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Invite other cities to join us in this effort.
Help us strengthen this coalition as we work together to end gun violence in America.
Coalition members
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Alabama
- Birmingham
- Center Point
- Lisman
- Montgomery
- Selma
- Tuscaloosa
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Arizona
- Flagstaff
- Phoenix
- Tempe
- Tucson
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Arkansas
- Earle
- Fayetteville
- Forrest City
- Little Rock
- West Memphis
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California
- Alameda
- American Canyon
- Anaheim
- Avalon
- Baldwin Park
- Berkeley
- Calabasas
- Calistoga
- Coachella
- Compton
- Cudahy
- Culver City
- Daly City
- Davis
- El Cerrito
- El Monte
- Emeryville
- Fremont
- Glendale
- Goleta
- Hayward
- Hillsborough
- Inglewood
- Irvine
- Lindsay
- Long Beach
- Los Altos Hills
- Los Angeles
- Maywood
- Monterey Park
- Moreno Valley
- Mountain View
- National City
- Newark
- Oakland
- Ojai
- Palo Alto
- Perris
- Placerville
- Pleasanton
- Pomona
- Rancho Cordova
- Rialto
- Richmond
- Riverbank
- Riverside
- Sacramento
- San Clemente
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- San Leandro
- San Rafael
- Santa Clara
- Santa Monica
- Sausalito
- South San Francisco
- Suisun City
- Sunnyvale
- Union City
- West Hollywood
- West Sacramento
- Woodland
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Colorado
- Boulder
- Broomfield
- Denver
- Edgewater
- Erie
- Fort Collins
- Northglenn
- Salida
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Connecticut
- Bridgeport
- Hartford
- Mansfield
- Middletown
- New Haven
- North Haven
- Norwalk
- Ridgefield
- Waterbury
- Westport
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Delaware
- Middletown
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District of Columbia
- Washington DC
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Florida
- Aventura
- Boca Raton
- Boynton Beach
- Cooper City
- Coral Springs
- Dania Beach
- Daytona Beach
- Doral
- Fort Lauderdale
- Gainesville
- Golden Beach
- Gulfport
- Hallandale Beach
- Key West
- Lake Worth Beach
- Miami-Dade
- Miramar
- North Bay Village
- North Lauderdale
- Orlando
- Pembroke Pines
- Plantation
- South Bay
- Sunrise
- Tallahassee
- Tampa
- West Palm Beach
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Georgia
- Athens-Clarke County
- Atlanta
- Doraville
- East Point
- Milledgeville
- Pooler
- Savannah
- Stockbridge
- Union City
- Waynesboro
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Hawaii
- Hilo
- Honolulu
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Illinois
- Alton
- Broadview
- Carbondale
- Champaign
- Chicago
- Cortland
- Elgin
- Evanston
- Geneva
- Hanover Park
- Hickory Hills
- Highland Park
- Hillside
- La Grange Park
- Maywood
- Melrose Park
- Normal
- North Chicago
- Orland Hills
- Oak Park
- Palos Heights
- Palos Hills
- Peoria
- Richton Park
- Rockford
- Sesser
- Skokie
- Sleepy Hollow
- South Holland
- Stone Park
- Thornton Township
- Urbana
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Indiana
- Anderson
- Bloomington
- Fort Wayne
- Hammond
- Indianapolis
- New Albany
- South Bend
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Iowa
- Coralville
- Des Moines
- Dubuque
- Iowa City
- Marshalltown
- Waterloo
- Windsor Heights
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Kansas
- Kansas City
- Topeka
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Kentucky
- Frankfort
- Louisville
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Louisiana
- Baton Rouge
- Cheneyville
- New Orleans
- White Castle
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Maryland
- Annapolis
- Baltimore
- Bladensburg
- Cambridge
- Easton
- Frederick
- Glenarden
- Greenbelt
- Morningside
- Mount Rainier
- Rockville
- Somerset
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Massachusetts
- Beverly
- Boston
- Brockton
- Easthampton
- Everett
- Lynn
- Malden
- Medford
- Melrose
- New Bedford
- Newburyport
- Newton
- Northampton
- Peabody
- Quincy
- Salem
- Somerville
- Springfield
- Worcester
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Michigan
- Ann Arbor
- Benton Harbor
- Canton
- Dearborn
- Detroit
- East Grand Rapids
- Farmington Hills
- Ferndale
- Flint
- Grand Rapids
- Harper Woods
- Jackson
- Kalamazoo
- Lansing
- Lincoln Park
- Oak Park
- Southfield
- Sterling Heights
- Westland
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Minnesota
- Brooklyn Park
- Burnsville
- Columbia Heights
- Comfrey
- Eagan
- Eden Prairie
- Edina
- Hancock
- Independence
- Minneapolis
- Minnetonka
- Proctor
- Rochester
- Shoreview
- St. Paul
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Mississippi
- Biloxi
- Drew
- Greenwood
- Jackson
- Pickens
- Shuqualak
- Vicksburg
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Missouri
- Bridgeton
- Clayton
- Columbia
- Des Peres
- Houston Lake
- Kansas City
- Kirkwood
- Lee’s Summit
- Maryland Heights
- O’Fallon
- Richmond Heights
- Rock Hill
- St. Charles
- St. Louis
- Sunset Hills
- University City
- Weatherby Lake
- Webster Groves
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Montana
- Belgrade
- Butte-Silver Bow
- Helena
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Nebraska
- Lincoln
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Nevada
- Las Vegas
- Reno
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New Hampshire
- Nashua
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New Jersey
- Aberdeen
- Asbury Park
- Berlin Township
- Bloomfield
- Bridgeton
- Clementon Borough
- Clinton
- Collingswood
- Cranford Township
- East Hanover
- Elizabeth
- Fanwood
- Fort Lee
- Glen Gardner Borough
- Gloucester Township
- Guttenberg
- Harrison
- Hoboken
- Hopewell Township
- Jersey City
- Lawnside
- Leonia
- Linden
- Lindenwold
- Little Ferry
- Logan Township
- Longport
- Madison
- Magnolia
- Maplewood
- Marlboro
- Matawan
- Merchantville
- Millburn
- Montclair
- Moonachie
- Morristown
- Morris Township
- New Brunswick
- New Providence
- Newark
- North Brunswick
- Orange
- Paterson
- Plainfield
- Rahway
- Ramsey
- Robbinsville
- Roselle Park
- Runnemede
- Rutherford
- Scotch Plains
- Secaucus
- South Orange
- Teaneck
- Trenton
- Union City
- Waldwick
- Weehawken Township
- Westfield
- Woodbridge Township
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New Mexico
- Albuquerque
- Anthony
- Santa Fe
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New York
- Albany
- Ardsley
- Binghamton
- Brewster
- Buffalo
- Carthage
- Coxsackie
- Fabius
- Fayetteville
- Hastings on Hudson
- Haverstraw
- Hempstead
- Hilton
- Kensington
- Kingston
- Lake George
- Maybrook
- Mexico
- Mount Vernon
- New Paltz
- New York
- North Hills
- Patchogue
- Piermont
- Pleasantville
- Port Jervis
- Rochester
- Roslyn
- Schenectady
- Sleepy Hollow
- Syracuse
- Tarrytown
- White Plains
- Yonkers
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North Carolina
- Ahoskie
- Asheville
- Chapel Hill
- Charlotte
- Durham
- East Spencer
- Fayetteville
- Greensboro
- Hendersonville
- High Point
- Huntersville
- Kinston
- Marion
- Morrisville
- Raleigh
- Spring Lake
- Wake Forest
- Winston-Salem
- Winterville
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Northern Mariana Islands
- Saipan
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Ohio
- Bexley
- Broadview Heights
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Cleveland Heights
- Columbus
- Dayton
- Forest Park
- Grandview Heights
- Groveport
- Kent
- Lakeline
- Lakewood
- Lima
- Lorain
- Louisville
- Mount Healthy
- Parma
- Pepper Pike
- Piketon
- Richmond Heights
- Shaker Heights
- Silverton
- Solon
- South Euclid
- Toledo
- University Heights
- Warren
- Warrensville Heights
- Youngstown
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Oregon
- Beaverton
- Bend
- Durham
- Gresham
- Hillsboro
- Lake Oswego
- Portland
- Salem
- Tigard
- Wilsonville
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Pennsylvania
- Aliquippa
- Allentown
- Ambler
- Applewold
- Ben Avon
- Bethlehem
- Blawnox
- Canonsburg
- Carlisle
- Castle Shannon
- Catasauqua
- Chalfant
- Chester
- Clairton
- Conway
- Coraopolis
- Courtdale
- Dallas
- Dormont
- Easton
- Ellwood City
- Erie
- Factoryville
- Hawthorn
- Heidelberg
- Jenkintown
- Lancaster
- Lincoln
- Loganton
- Lyons
- Mayfield
- McKean
- Media
- Newell
- Newtown Township
- Oil City
- Palmyra
- Pittsburgh
- Scranton
- Sellersville
- South Coatesville
- Stoystown
- Strattanville
- Sugar Notch
- Summerhill
- Troy
- Tullytown
- Verona
- Waynesboro
- Wellsboro
- West Conshohocken
- West Homestead
- West View
- Whitehall Borough
- Windsor
- Yeadon
- Yoe
- York
- Zelienople
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Puerto Rico
- Canovanas
- Cayey
- Naranjito
- Orocovis
- San Sebastián
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Rhode Island
- Central Falls
- North Providence
- Pawtucket
- Providence
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South Carolina
- Arcadia Lakes
- Florence
- Lake City
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Tennessee
- Chattanooga
- Knoxville
- Memphis
- Nashville & Davidson County
- Shelby County
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Texas
- Arlington
- Austin
- Brownsville
- De Soto
- Harlingen
- Port Arthur
- San Antonio
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Utah
- Salt Lake City
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Vermont
- Burlington
-
Virginia
- Alexandria
- Dumfries
- Fairfax
- Manassas
- Newport News
- Portsmouth
- Richmond
- Roanoke
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Washington
- Duvall
- Federal Way
- Issaquah
- Kenmore
- Kent
- Oakesdale
- Redmond
- Seattle
- Shoreline
- Tacoma
- Woodinville
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West Virginia
- Clarksburg
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Wisconsin
- Glendale
- Green Bay
- Kenosha
- Madison
- Manitowoc
- Middleton
- Milwaukee
- Racine
- Sheboygan
Our work
Highlights from our work through the years
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2023: 31 MAIG Cities Release Data on Crime Gun Recoveries by Manufacturer
31 members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund to release new data about the manufacturers of crime guns in their cities. -
2022: MAIG members come together for a summit on gun violence prevention and gun industry accountability
The first-of-its-kind mayoral summit was hosted by MAIG Co-Chair New York Mayor Eric Adams, in partnership with the African American Mayors Association. MAIG members released new data on the manufacturers of guns used in crimes in their cities and are calling on their fellow mayors to heed their challenge and do the same. -
2022: MAIG announces 10 new co-chairs
The new co-chairs join founding chair Mike Bloomberg as leaders of the nonpartisan coalition, and include: Baltimore, Maryland Mayor Brandon Scott; Chattanooga, Tennessee Mayor Tim Kelly; Former Columbia, South Carolina Mayor Steve Benjamin; Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas; Mount Vernon, New York Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard; New York, New York Mayor Eric Adams; Former Stockton, California Mayor Michael Tubbs; St. Louis, Missouri Mayor Tishaura Jones; Tampa, Florida Mayor Jane Castor; and Tucson, Arizona Mayor Regina Romero. During their tenure, co-chairs will provide leadership and stewardship for the coalition and advise on priorities and policies. -
2021: MAIG member announces new gun trafficking platform
The City of Baltimore, working with the Everytown Support Fund, announced a first-of-its-kind data intelligence tool to identify illegal firearms, solve crimes, and combat gun trafficking. The Gun Trafficking Intelligence Platform, which generates custom leads by examining specific trends and patterns in the data, will help the Baltimore Police Department make connections more quickly and comprehensively to solve crimes involving firearms. -
2020: MAIG member brings lawsuit to combat gun trafficking
The City of Kansas City, MO filed a lawsuit against a Nevada gun manufacturer, multiple Kansas City-area licensed firearms dealers, an alleged gun trafficker, and an alleged straw purchaser over the trafficking of handguns into the Kansas City area. The lawsuit alleges that the gun trafficking ring has created a public nuisance by contributing to Kansas City’s violent crime problem. -
2020: MAIG members bring lawsuit against ATF
The cities of Syracuse, NY, San Jose, CA, Chicago, IL, and Columbia, SC filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking a court order compelling the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to address the growing public safety threat posed by ghost guns. The lawsuit alleges that ATF’s dangerous and erroneous interpretation Of critical gun safety law allows explosive growth of unregulated firearms that are increasingly being used to commit gun violence and other crimes. The suit seeks to overturn and correct ATF’s current misinterpretation of Gun Control Act and confirm that a serial numbers and background checks are required for the core components of ghost guns. -
2019: Mayors go to DC to lobby Congress
October 2019: Mayors Against Illegal Guns joined a group of bipartisan members of Congress, gun violence survivors and Moms Demand Action volunteers for a press conference on Capitol Hill demanding the U.S. Senate pass federal legislation requiring background checks on all gun sales and a strong Red Flag bill. -
2019: MAIG members bring lawsuit challenging preemption law in Florida
The Broward County cities of Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Pembroke Pines and Wilton Manors sued the state of Florida in an effort to enact local ordinances promoting gun safety, alleging that Florida’s punitive firearms preemption law unconstitutionally and illegally threatens local legislators and municipalities for enacting ordinances that may later be found to be preempted by Florida state law. The Leon County Circuit Court ruled that the punitive provisions are unconstitutional on several grounds. The court’s ruling is first-of-its kind nationally to find that penalizing local officials for passing gun regulations is unconstitutional. Everytown Law was co-counsel representing cities in this lawsuit. -
2018: Mayors join March for Our Lives
March 2018: following the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, Mayors Against Illegal Guns joined the March for Our Lives, the largest single day of protest against gun violence in history. -
2016: MAIG releases report on strategies to reduce gun violence in cities
In June 2016 Mayors Against Illegal Guns and the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, in collaboration with the National Urban League, published its first report for city leaders who want to reduce gun violence. The report describes seven strategies that dozens of cities have taken to reduce gun violence in their communities, drawing on specific case studies. -
2015: Mayors participate in the first annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day by wearing orange
Orange is the color that Hadiya Pendleton’s friends wore in her honor when she was shot and killed in Chicago at the age of 15 — just one week after performing at President Obama’s 2nd inaugural parade in 2013. After her death, they asked us to stand up, speak out, and Wear Orange to raise awareness about gun violence. Each year, hundreds of mayors across the country participate annually by issuing proclamations declaring the first Friday in June to be National Gun Violence Awareness Day, posting on social media, and lighting municipal landmarks orange. -
2013: MAIG joins with Moms Demand Action to form Everytown
Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America came together to tackle our shared goal of ending gun violence. Since then, we have combined the best minds in research, policy, litigation, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to grow Everytown for Gun Safety into a movement of over 6 million supporters. -
2013: MAIG launches No More Names Bus Tour
Mayors Against Illegal Guns launched the No More Names tour to vocalize the 90 percent of the American public that support background check legislation. The bus made 25 stops across the country in 90 days. -
2012: MAIG releases gun safety Superbowl ad
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino appeared in a superbowl ad as fans of the opposing teams, but united in their efforts to reduce gun violence. -
2010: MAIG releases Gun Tracing Report
Mayors Against Illegal Guns released a new groundbreaking report, Trace the Guns, that examined where crime guns originate, where they are recovered in crimes, and whether state gun laws help curb the flow of these illegal weapons. The study found that just ten states supplied nearly half of the guns that crossed state lines before being recovered in crimes. The report also found that states that have enacted strong gun laws had significantly lower export rates than states with weak gun laws. -
2006: Mayors Against Illegal Guns Founded
Then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and then-Boston Mayor Thomas Menino founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns as an original coalition of 15 mayors pledging to continue the fight against illegal guns, to continue the dialogue, and to build a broader coalition of leaders across the country.
How we support mayors
As a member, we can provide you with:
- Customized strategies for reducing gun violence
- Up-to-date state and national gun violence statistics
- Opportunities to join forces with other mayors to advocate for stronger state and federal gun safety laws
- Free legal advice and representation to fight for gun safety — and against the gun lobby — in court
- Draft language, legal counsel, and strategic support to pass local ordinances
- Opportunities for press
- Connections to local Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers
Join us
If you are a mayor or work in local government and are interested in getting your city involved, please reach out to us and join us by submitting our Statement of Principles.
Joining Mayors Against Illegal Guns further solidifies your role as a leader in the fight to end gun violence.
Do you have questions about joining Mayors Against Illegal Guns? Contact us today.