| Isn't this the second or third payment he's made toward his bright idea of disarming America's law-abiding civilians? Thus far it hasn't done his cause much good... |
Michael NannyBloomberg announced plans Wednesday to spend $50 million this year on the fight to tighten gun control laws and counter America's powerful gun lobby.
Bloomberg's money will help bankroll a new campaign to reduce gun violence across the United States and the billionaire philanthropist hopes the initiative can eventually outdo the might of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
The creation of "Everytown for Gun Safety" comes after Congress failed to pass a hotly contested gun control law last year, despite a series of mass shootings that shocked the nation.
The impasse came in the face of stiff opposition by the NRA and other gun groups, which mounted a successful counter-campaign and warned members that the U.S. government was determined to take guns away.
"This is the beginning of a major new campaign to reduce the gun violence that plagues communities across the country," said Bloomberg, who will chair Everytown for Gun Safety.
It is a coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, co-founded by Bloomberg, and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which was set up after a 20-year-old man rubbed out 20 first-grade pupils and six staff in December 2012.
It calls itself the largest gun violence prevention organization in the United States, where Bloomberg says shootings kill 86 Americans every day.
The group will press for change in Washington and bring the fight for tighter gun laws to states, corporate boards, and state and federal elections, areas where the gun lobby is strong.