Mayor Michael Bloomberg reminded the city about the danger of lax weapon regulations. Credit: Edward Reed
In response to the verdict in the Trayvon Martin shooting, Mayor Michael Bloomberg released a statement Sunday pushing his anti-gun agenda.
“Sadly, all the facts in this tragic case will probably never be known. But one fact has long been crystal clear: ‘Shoot first’ laws like those in Florida can inspire dangerous vigilantism and protect those who act recklessly with guns,” he said.
“Such laws – drafted by gun lobby extremists in Washington – encourage deadly confrontations by enabling people to shoot first and argue ‘justifiable homicide’ later,” Bloomberg added, saying Martin’s death will help drive the efforts to eliminate the laws.
Many other city politicians also expressed outrage over Saturday’s verdict.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said the verdict is proof that “stand your ground” laws across the country must be reformed.
“Trayvon Martin was an innocent, unarmed young man with a full life ahead of him when he was tragically shot to death,” Quinn said in a statement Saturday. “Today’s acquittal is a shocking insult to his family and everyone seeking justice for Trayvon.”
City comptroller candidate and former Gov. Eliot Spitzer called the verdict a failure of justice, The New York Post reports.
“An innocent young man was walking down a street, was confronted by a stranger with a gun, and that innocent young man was shot. The criminal justice system should be able to deal with situations like that. It didn’t,” he said in an ABC interview on Sunday.
City comptroller candidate Scott Stringer also blasted the verdict, the Post reports. “It’s sickening,” he said. “Being black and walking down the street is not a crime.”
