Though you do not read about it in the papers and certainly not on the city's website, guns are still a problem in Plainfield, particularly among teens, I am told by several cops.
So, why isn't the mayor against illegal handguns?
The issue of handguns is coming back into focus now that Sen. Sandra Bolden Cunningham of Jersey City is being joined by mayors Cory Booker of Newark and Jerramiah Healy of Jersey City to push for passage of a bill restricting the purchase of guns in New Jersey (see stories here and here).
What is being proposed is a statewide law restricting the purchase of handguns to one per month. The three argue that the legislation -- twice passed by the Assembly but never brought to a vote in the Senate -- is a necessary part of a multi-pronged effort to combat the proliferation of illegal handguns, especially among teens in the state's cities.
New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has organized a nationwide coalition of mayors to lobby for measures to reduce the availability of illegal guns. Known as Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the coalition now has 325 mayors signed on, including 46 in New Jersey.
But not Mayor Robinson-Briggs. Wouldn't you think we'd want to be against illegal handguns and in favor reducing their availability?
Here is a list of New Jersey mayors belonging to the coalition (it's online here) --
- Asbury Park, Mayor Kevin G. Sanders
- Bayonne, Mayor Joseph V. Doria Jr.
- Berkeley Township, Mayor Jason J. Varano
- Camden, Mayor Gwendolyn Faison
- Closter, Mayor Sophie Heymann
- Corbin City, Mayor Carol Foster
- Demarest, Mayor James Carroll
- East Newark, Mayor Joseph R. Smith
- East Orange, Mayor Robert L. Bowser
- Edison, Mayor Jun Choi
- Elizabeth, Mayor J. Christian Bollwage
- Fair Lawn, Mayor Steven Weinstein
- Guttenberg, Mayor David Delle Donna
- Hamilton, Mayor John Bencivengo
- Hazlet, Mayor James C. DiNardo
- Highland Park, Mayor Meryl Frank
- Irvington, Mayor Wayne Smith
- Jersey City, Mayor Jerramiah Healy
- Little Falls, Mayor Eugene Kulick
- Logan Township, Mayor Frank W. Minor
- Longport, Mayor John Stroebele
- Lower Township, Mayor Walt Craig
- Manchester Township, Mayor Michael Fressola
- Merchantville, Mayor Frank M. North
- Milford, Mayor James A. Gallos
- Morristown, Mayor Donald Cresitello
- Newark, Mayor Cory Booker
- North Arlington, Mayor Peter C. Massa
- North Brunswick, Mayor Francis M. Womack III
- North Haledon, Mayor Randy George
- North Plainfield, Mayor Janice G. Allen
- Parsipanny-Troy Hills, Mayor Michael Luther
- Passaic, Mayor Samuel Rivera
- Paterson, Mayor Jose Torres
- Pennsauken, Mayor Jack Killion
- Phillipsburg, Mayor Harry L. Wyant
- Port Republic, Mayor Gary Giberson
- Red Bank, Mayor Pasquale Menna
- Salem, Mayor Earl Gage
- Shrewsbury, Mayor Emilia M. Siciliano
- Spotswood, Mayor Barry H. Zagnit
- Trenton, Mayor Douglas Palmer
- Victory Gardens, Mayor Betty Simmons
- West Windsor, Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh
- Woodbridge, Mayor John E. McCormac
Unless, of course, guns and crime are no longer an issue in Plainfield.
- Jersey Journal: "Booker and Healy join to promote gun purchase limit"
- Courier: "Gun control bill gets booster in state Senate"
- Homepage: "Mayors Against Illegal Guns"
-- Dan Damon
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