Bloomberg calls for reform of gun rules

Mayor Michael Bloomberg stood with 34 Americans on Monday who lost loved ones in Tucson, Virginia Tech and other gun-related tragedies to demand the federal government fix its “broken” background check system.

“Every day, 34 Americans are murdered with guns – and most of them are purchased or possessed illegally,” said Bloomberg, who also co-heads the bipartisan coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

The mayor has two suggestions for Congress to strengthen already-existing law: Within three years, ensure felony convictions, drug history and mental illness records are part of background checks. And second, subject every gun sale, including those at gun shows or through the Internet, to a background check of the buyer.

Martin Luther King III, the son of the celebrated civil rights leader who was gunned down in 1968, echoed Bloomberg’s call for reform during Monday’s event at City Hall.

“My father would say, ‘The time is now,’” King said.