Bloomberg: Gun control = suicide control

The latest from Mayor Mike:

“… “The rate of suicide in New York City is almost half of what it is in the country on average,” he said.  “And most of that comes from the difficulty in getting a gun … we have reduced the number of guns in the city, and I’ll tell you where it shows up.  Health Department put out the suicide statistics yesterday.  It turns out that an awful lot of people, when they want to kill themselves, reach for a gun,” continued the mayor.  “And if they can’t get that gun, the thought goes away and they don’t kill themselves.” …”

As usual Bloomberg blames guns and ignores everything else:

“… It took only a moment for Andre Carrasco to get out of his car and jump to his death from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge last month.   He was the second suicide on the bridge in a month’s time, and his niece wants the city to put up fences along the iconic span, to slow down anyone who might be next …”

Cuomo’s initiative

Here is the press release announcing Governor Cuomo’s new “Comprehensive Initiative to Reduce Gun Violence.”  It is significant for what is does and what it does not.

What it does is waste a bunch of money on vague, touchy-feely “community-based programs” along with starting a “state-wide advertising campaign focused on reducing gun violence.”

What it does not do is call for more gun control laws.  Michelle Schimel has been asking Cuomo to put microstamping legislation in the state budget.  Carolyn McCarthy asked him to come out in opposition to H.R. 822.  He blew both of them off.  That is not an insignificant thing.  NYAGV cannot be happy with him.

Schimel’s FAIL

Michelle Schimel tried to get Gov. Cuomo to include microstamping in his proposed budget.

Cuomo’s response was some hugs for thugs and a toll-free tip line instead.

Bloomberg’s bad advice

Some advice for the antis, “Bloomberg: Gun Control Advocates Should Adopt NRA’s Political Tactics“:

“… “What you’ve got to do is take a look at your Congressman, your Senator, and say ‘Where are you? I’m not going to worry about everybody else.  I’m going to work for your opponent unless you do what’s right to protect my kids and the cops on the corner who are putting their lives on the line to protect me,” Mr. Bloomberg responded when Mr. Gambling asked how voters are supposed to make a difference in such a complicated legislative body … Mr. Bloomberg then made the case that Washington legislators should face scrutiny no matter how bad their opponents are on gun control issues.  “I’ll deal with your opponent when I get that man or woman when he gets into office,” he advocated voters tell their representatives …”

Good advice except for one, tiny problem: antigunners do not have a voting constituency.  The organizations which represent them are largely just front groups for professional politicians and activists which are funded by large foundations including Joyce and Tides.  They can’t turn out people to vote because they aren’t membership-based; they’re mostly astroturf.

The gun control groups don’t even talk much about impacting elections anymore.  CSGV especially seems to be trying to morph into some sort of weird, peace, love, higher consciousness something-or-other.  Whatever they’re going for it isn’t political.  All of them seem in disarray as their money has been drying up in the aftermath of Heller and McDonald.  The only one who is really getting involved with elections is Bloomberg himself and he’s making private donations out of pocket.

Romney’s position

Mitt Romney has posted a position statement on guns.

He’s not putting anything on the table for gun rights activists.  It’s just words with no substance.  It won’t make him any new friends, but probably won’t make him any new enemies either.

3 Stars

The Brady’s have release their annual state scorecard and New York comes in at #4 with 62 points which gets us 3 Stars.  The national average is 15 points and 0 Stars.

Some crap media outlets will no doubt carry their press release, but the political impact will be zero.

McCarthy/Ackerman primary

According to the Queens Gazette, Carolyn McCarthy will primary Gary Ackerman for the Democrat nomination if CD-4 and CD-5 are merged together.

That would not go well for McCarthy.  Ackerman has seniority and, unlike McCarthy, isn’t a one issue shill.  I see him rolling all over her in a primary.

Microstamping point/counter-point

Timeline:

Public relations campaign for microstamping

Several antis in Albany are trying drum up support for their agenda, and microstamping in particular.

First Michelle Schimel, Brian Kavanagh and Eric Adams each sent out a press release touting SLAIG, State Legislators Against Illegal Guns, which is modeled after MAIG.  Next, according to the Daily News, they’re going to “begin a “sustained” push” for microstamping in the State Senate.

This appears to be nothing more than a PR campaign which has gotten some help from a couple of sympathetic newspapers.  I don’t see any new momentum behind  microstamping.  If anything, it has been becoming increasingly unpopular with legislators as evidenced by the decreasing number of votes in the Assembly for it.  SLAIG itself is a farce and largely just a soapbox for Schimel.