Menino and Bloomberg lead a call for tougher gun laws

With public outrage rising after several high-profile school shootings, a nationwide coalition of mayors led by Thomas M. Menino of Boston and New York City's Michael R. Bloomberg is gearing up to pressure Congress for stronger gun laws.

Menino and Bloomberg, at a Boston City Hall news conference yesterday , said the coalition they started in April with 15 members has grown to 109 mayors and plans to begin lobbying for stricter gun-control laws. The group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, also announced plans for regional databases to track illegal firearms and a new website on gun-trafficking legislation.

``The horrific shooting this last week in Lancaster is a tragic reminder of what happens when guns end up in the wrong hands," said Bloomberg, referring to the gunman who entered a Pennsylvania schoolhouse Tuesday and shot 10 girls. He was armed with three guns and 600 rounds of ammunition. ``We know we can't do much to stop a law-abiding gun owner who suddenly loses his mind, but the fact is most murderers who use guns acquire them illegally. . . . To really make a dent in this problem we have to work together. The gun laws of one state affect the people of all the other states."

The mayors said they hope to stanch the flow of guns from states that have less-stringent laws by pressing for tougher gun-control measures nationwide. The mayors also criticized legislation passed last week by the US House of Representatives that they said makes it more difficult to punish gun dealers who run afoul of the law.

House supporters of the legislation, however, have said it gives teeth to law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. But Menino said it is too friendly to rogue gun dealers and said the federal government has ``abandoned its obligation to public safety."

``I'm not going to sugar-coat this, we have a tough fight ahead of us," said Menino, who added that the federal government makes it difficult for cities to get the information they need on the sales of illegal guns.

The news conference drew the ire of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a gun industry group that called the mayors' statements political grandstanding.

``The firearms industry challenges every member of the mayors' coalition against illegal guns, many of whom we have worked with in the past on firearms safety programs, to take the high road and engage with us in a constructive dialogue," spokesman Lawrence G. Keane said.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Adrienne P. Samuels can be reached at asamuels@globe.com