gun grabbers at work Original Article Mayors attend summit on curbing illegal guns Desmond Butler Associated Press Apr. 26, 2006 12:00 AM NEW YORK - The mayors of more than a dozen U.S. cities gathered at a summit aimed at purging the streets of illegal guns, with organizers saying the federal government is not doing enough to stop the problem. "If the leadership won't come from Congress or from the White House, it will have to come from us," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who led the summit with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. The mayors, from cities including Washington, Philadelphia, Dallas, Milwaukee and Seattle, gathered to exchange ideas, consult with experts and promote law enforcement cooperation among their cities. They signed a resolution to combat gun violence, and Bloomberg said they hope to come back in greater numbers for a gathering later this year. The mayors hope to eventually establish a public relations campaign to pressure the federal government and state legislatures. Menino said he met recently with a sixth-grade class in Boston in which nine out of 10 students said they knew where they could find a gun. The 73 homicides in Boston last year marked the highest number in 10 years, he said. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said, "We are the ones who get the phone calls on a bright sunny afternoon that a little girl has been shot. I want those phone calls to stop." Bloomberg has made gun control a priority in his second term. Crime statistics show the number of shootings this year is slightly lower than last year, but high-profile gun deaths, like that of a toddler killed by a stray bullet on Easter Sunday, continue to hold a spotlight on the issue.