City of Sharonville exposes Mayor Bloomberg's lack of concern for enforcing firearms law

By Chad D. Baus

Last Wednesday, anti-gun New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg staged a press conference to announce that he had hired private investigators to attempt to make purchases at gun shows in Ohio, Tennessee and Nevada, and claiming they had proved "just how easy it is for criminals and the mentally ill to walk in and buy guns -- no questions asked."

One of the shows invaded by the Mayor of New York is held in Sharonville, Ohio, and city officials there have responded, exposing Bloomberg's lack of interest in enforcing existing gun laws.

From the statement, which was released on Friday, October 9:

It is nice that Mayor Bloomberg has spent New York money hiring private investigators to identify alleged crimes of federal law in other states. However, proper arrests cannot be made without informing the Sharonville Police Department. Customarily, we are informed of these types of investigations so that we can coordinate with the appropriate federal agency.

We are a strong proponent of a person's right to sell and purchase firearms, and yet, the City of Sharonville is very committed to seeing gun sales only performed within the law. Our Convention Center has provided the venue for these and many other events over the past 15 years without a single violation being reported by any law enforcement agency.

It should be noted that federal agencies are actively involved in monitoring and enforcing these gun shows including the one represented in the investigation. The violations referred to are federal and not state. The City of Sharonville does not have jurisdiction over federal laws, but does take any violation very seriously. To our knowledge no federal agency was informed of this private investigation and, therefore, makes enforcement of these particular incidents impossible.

The City of Sharonville has pointed out what many of us have already known: Mayor Bloomberg is not interested in enforcing the laws that are already on the books. Rather, he is interested in passing new ones that will lead to putting gun shows out of business and making all private transfers of firearms illegal.

The statement goes on to say:

We have an exemplary reputation and continue to work closely with the management of this show to ensure that all of the laws pertaining to gun sales are adhered to. We are not the organizers; however we feel it is our responsibility to ensure that every event taking place in this facility is conducted in a safe and legal manner.

The promoter of this show is now preparing a list of expanded policies and procedures to be implemented at all future shows to strengthen this commitment.

Anything gun show promoters can do to strengthen their policies and prevent illegal sales is welcome. The very fact that Mayor Bloomberg repeatedly refers to them as "illegal" sales proves there are no "loopholes," and what is needed is enforcement, which Bloomberg has made painfully clear is so easy. No new laws are needed.

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