Mayor Bloomberg on U.S. gun laws: "What kind of craziness is this?"

(CBS News) One outspoken advocate for strict gun laws demanded action from the president Monday. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said President Obama isn't vigorously enforcing background checks on gun buyers. He criticized Mr. Obama for not naming a permanent director for the agency that enforces gun laws. CBS News talked to the mayor, and pointed out that many millions of Americans disagree with gun control.

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Bloomberg: Lots of people think we shouldn't have speed limits. We still have speed limits. Lots of people think we shouldn't have public schools. We still have public schools. Lots of people are against a lot of different things. A democratic society, you have to come together and what a majority of the people want, and every time somebody's on a poll the majority of people want sensible gun restrictions.

Pelley: And in your opinion, sensible gun restrictions would include what?

Bloomberg: No guns in the hands of minors. No guns in the hands of criminals. No guns in the hands of people with psychiatric problems. No guns in the hands of people with substance abuse problems. No guns in the hands of people that we put on the "no-fly" list. We won't let you fly, but we'll sell you a gun. What kind of craziness is this?

Pelley: So why is this your problem?

Bloomberg: Why is the murder rate around the country...I'm an American! What's your question?

Pelley: Why is this Mike Bloomberg's crusade?

Bloomberg: I live in America and I'm a human being. I don't know what your religion teaches you, mine teaches you to take care of each other. In America, read the Constitution, we're all equal and we're all Americans.

Pelley: But what do you say to those who would make the argument that the guns are already out there...

Bloomberg: Fine, let's get them off the streets...

Pelley: ...that we've lost this war, that there are three million AR-15s made in America already out there.

Bloomberg: Think of what you said. I'll give you a list tomorrow of the 34 families who had somebody in their family killed tomorrow, do it by the end of the day. You really want to call them up and say: "It's hopeless, we're just going to keep killing more and more people"? Do you want that for your kids? I don't think so.

CBS News wanted to hear from supporters of gun rights, but we asked to talk to more than two dozen members of congress, and they all declined to talk with us, but we will try again.

NYC Mayor Bloomberg held press conference Monday, Dec. 17, calling on Congress and President Obama to take action on gun control.

[sickofwhiners]

All those things he advocates are already illegal. How's that working out for ya, Bloomberg? How about calling for better mental health treatment?

[belyea2012]

IS EVERYONE HERE MISSING THE "POINT" OR WHAT! Mostly some one who holds office such as Mayor Bloomburg to babble on with his stupitiy! Here's the "POINT" idiots! IT IS AND WAS MRS. LANZA THAT OWNED THE WEAPONS! NOT HER SON! IT WAS HER "TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY" TO SAFE-GUARD ANYONE FROM GETTING HURT! IF IT IS "HER" IDEA OF HAVING "FUN" TO PRACTICE TARGET SHOOTING AS A F&*%ING "SPORT", THEN PUT THE BLAME WHERE IT BELONGS! If any laws need to be passed, I think it should be on certain weapons out there that are more for military use. Anyone who has "legal" right to own a gun "also" takes "FULL" responsibility on how that gun gets used. Gun owners are just being to careless with their own responsibilities from owning something that can do a lot of damage within their own socity or community. WAKE UP PEOPLE!

[Major_Variola_]

" Lots of people are against a lot of different things. A democratic society, you have to come together and what a majority of the people want, and every time somebody's on a poll the majority of people want sensible gun restrictions."

And THAT is why we have a constitution: because the majority can try to take the rights of the few.

And, since the voters of NYC created term limits, why has he granted himself the power to ignore them?
And since people like large drinks,
why has he banned them in his kingdom?

We have a 2nd for petty tyrants like him.

[Riverjump]

A billionaire with armed escorts spoutin off about gun "control" huh...

[Riverjump]

Yup. We are gonna tax tour butt. You took: now give back.

[tucano2]

This particular bigoted numbskull lost any respect he may have once had when he started in on denying large liquid meals to people with brown skin.

[ajpettengill]

In the wake of this tragedy the anti gun nut have all come out of the woodwork. Jumping once again to try and ban the guns the feel are so evil.
Luckily we have the 2nd amendment. But they are also trying to destroy that to.
But the arguments most people are using in the defense of the 2nd amendment are also flawed. There is only one argument needed for the 2nd amendment. That is the 2nd amendment it's self.
Our founding fathers saw to it that in order to protect our citizens from a tyrannical government from destroying our rights and liberties they put the 2nd amendment there for the exact reason that in time of need be it civil unrest. Or to protect our nation from said tyrannical government. That the citizenry has the ability to rise and take arms to protect them selves and their families their homes and communities and even their nation. By forming a well regulated militia and going to its defense. This militia is made up of the citizens of this country. In times past this meant the men and sometimes boys would take up arms and fight. Today it would all men and woman. all able bodied citizens. This is the meaning of the 2nd amendment.
Not hunting not collecting not target shooting or any other legal pastime we enjoy with them. These pastimes are a fringe benefit of the 2nd amendment not a right from it.
So in order to be able to follow the real meaning of the 2nd amendment the owning of personal arms by citizens can not be infringed.
Any other argument you use for or against the 2nd amendment is irrelevant. it is the right of the people period.
Now we are talking personal arms be it a knife, sword, spear. Bow, pistol, or rifle. I'm not talking about arms that are indiscriminate. Such as explosives, grenades, rpg's and maybe even full auto machine guns. As these weapons tend to be completely indiscriminate. These weapons do need to be controlled in differing degrees.
The only people who could be and should be bared from this are as follows. convicted criminals who haven't been pardoned or received clemency. individuals who are not of voting age, non us citizens and those who have mental illnesses that make them a danger to them selves and others.
I hope I have stated this clearly and easy to understand. If anyone just does a little research you will see by the writings of our founding fathers that this is what the 2nd amendment is.
But of coarse the anti guns nuts will find all kinds of faults with this because it doesn't fit into their skewed fantasies. But what can you you do.
I have lived nearly 50 years and have studied the constitution most of them. I am not a republican or democrat. There are many thing I do not like about both of these parties. They have both become corrupt self serving groups. Not really interested in doing what is right but in serving their own bull@hit agendas. I am what I call a constitutional conservative. I believe in the constitution not a political party.

Alan J. Pettengill

[belyea2012]

IS EVERYONE HERE MISSING THE "POINT" OR WHAT! Mostly some one who holds office such as Mayor Bloomburg to babble on with his stupitiy! Here's the "POINT" idiots! IT IS AND WAS MRS. LANZA THAT OWNED THE WEAPONS! NOT HER SON! IT WAS HER "TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY" TO SAFE-GUARD ANYONE FROM GETTING HURT! IF IT IS "HER" IDEA OF HAVING "FUN" TO PRACTICE TARGET SHOOTING AS A F&*%ING "SPORT", THEN PUT THE BLAME WHERE IT BELONGS! If any laws need to be passed, I think it should be on certain weapons out there that are more for military use. Anyone who has "legal" right to own a gun "also" takes "FULL" responsibility on how that gun gets used. Gun owners are just being to careless with their own responsibilities from owning something that can do a lot of damage within their own socity or community. WAKE UP PEOPLE!

[northpark2]

see did take full responsibility by getting shot while she slept. Unfortunately, her error also had a major effect on innocent lives.

[Sugarluvit]

Bloomberg is a pinhead. He thinks he's the ruler of New York City. Rudy G. did a better job as Mayor, and cleaned up and reduced the crime rate! Bloomberg can swallow his flys in his own mouth, his "no-fly" zone tell us about what can, or shouldn't drink, or eat. I can't walk down the street in New York City and his thug cops telling me I can't drink a 44 oz. Pepsi!

[tsigili]

How many criminals in NY, have any problem getting THEIR guns? NONE!

All the laws do, is to prevent decent citizens from being able to defend themselves from the criminals. The cops certainly aren't going to protect you.......they simply try to find the killers, after they have committed the crimes, and the murders. No real help THERE!

[bdirnbac]

Of course, the Bloomberg proposal is NOT to ban gun sales, but sales to criminals, sociopaths, etc. and to ban sales of assault weapons and large magazine of bullets. As to criminals getting guns, this ban on assault weapons/large magazines won't affect that but it will keep these WMDs out of the hands of the mentally ill. Notice that Lanza did not steal his assault weapon, he took it from his mother's stash. Someone in China entered a school recently with the intent of harming children. He was armed with a knife so children were cut but not killed. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/14/news/la-man-slashes-22-children-near-china-school-20121214

[thebob-bob]

Why is the NRA hiding? Where are their full page ads insisting that Government Tyranny is the only possible result if any restraint is put on an American's ability to buy any weapon? Their lap-dog SCJ Scalia insists that that includes rocket-propelled grenade launchers!

Shame

[Riverjump]

moron

[MyNewone]

I just do not understand why our president, Congress and Senate, "" all news media talking heads "" keep referring to Japan and other countries gun control, their constitutions or dictatorship never did have a second amendment,""Guns are a way of life here in United States because of the constitutional second amendment"".""Guns are not the problem"".
Our United States society has gone through dramatic change in the past 20 years, technology such as i-Pads, smart-phones and personal computers, it seems that every teenager owns one of these devices or has easy access through friends, that allows instant communications of any kind at any time of day or night, today's teenagers live in a completely different reality a different state of mind.
Parents in their late 20s and 40s do not listen to the type of music teenagers are listening to, HATE RAP and PUNK and HARD ROCK music and VIDEO GAMES are extremely violent, young people listen to music and play these games over and over and over programming them desensitizing them to the real world around them.
Also ""There are a lot of > People with Brain Chemical Imbalances <, drug-induced or natural imbalance"", this violent music and video games becomes real life to them, "they are self-induced brainwashed without realizing it", because of their brain imbalance.
To complicate things there are the ""Thousands of dysfunctional families"" coast-to-coast, that could not care less what their teenagers are doing, with these problems listed above.
I wish Pres. Obama and ""Media Talking Heads"" look at this !
>> Look outside of the box, at ""ALL the past mass murders world wide"", look at their mental histories, before the murders << Or just look at HISTORY !!
Look at the middle east kids 12 running around with AK-47 machine guns, where is U.N. gun control their ?

[kicker0099]

Mayor Bloomberg is wrong. He seems to think that taking guns off the street is the answer. That will never happen. Does he not realize that there are people who know how to make there own home-made guns? On top of that, look at the guy in China. He didn't have a gun, he had a knife and still killed a lot of people, kids I believe. What's next, banning knives too.
The other reason this country will never get rid of the guns is because that would leave our country in a compromised position should another country try and invade. The police, national guard and current military can't handle what would be coming. With the amount of guns that the citizens of this country has is one of the main reasons why no one will ever try to invade us.
Bloomberg is also stating people on the no fly list shouldn't have guns, why? Are they criminals? You can be put on the no fly list for a lot of reasons.
Everyone is saying guns, guns, guns. GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE, PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE.
PEOPLE NEED TO START TUNRING IN THOSE WHO WOULD INTEND TO DO HARM TO ANYONE ELSE. IF SOMEONE KNOWS OR HEARS ABOUT A PLAN TO COMMIT MASS ATTACK(S), SAY SOMETHING. IF THEY KNEW ABOUT IT AND NOTHING IS SAID UNTIL AFTER THE FACT, CHARGE THEM WITH CONSPIRACY, MAKE IT A FELONY AND THEN PROSECUTE.

[alphaa10000]

Your arguments to continue the status quo with guns are about two decades obsolete, and long ago discredited. While guns, by themselves, do not kill people, people with guns kill people, and there is no room for gunplay in this country.

Your proposal for a mass movement to "turn in a wacko" would be helpful if (1) there were already a solid, working definition of mental instability and (2) therapeutic help were offered. The VA Tech shooter makes exactly that point-- no funding for sustained, effective treatment was available.

The currently lax federal regulation of laws already on the books suggests ATF has no pressing interest in its primary mission.

[tryreading]

You seriously think that Russia hasn't invaded our country because the citizenry owns weapons? They have fighter jets, bombs, and other weapons that would make an individual's biggest gun look like a water pistol. You've watched too many Sylvester Stallone movies to think your little arsenal would make a bit of difference.