Mayor Joins Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Earlier this month, mayors from throughout New Jersey met in Cranford to hold a public meeting expressing their support and participation in the national Mayors Against Illegal Gun coalition. 

On Wednesday, Morristown's mayor, Tim Dougherty, announced he also was joining the 800-or-so mayors around the country that have called for solutions to gun violence in the United States. Roughly 100 of those mayors have joined the organization since .

“It is time to put aside partisanship and address the problem of gun violence," Dougherty said in a press release of his participation in an organization that includes Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Dougherty is a registered Democrat.

"There have been too many families and communities destroyed as a result of senseless violence and the issue cannot continued to be ignored," he said in the release.

Although not yet an official member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Dougherty expressed his support for it following the Cranford conference in early January.

"I think they are on the right track and continue to press to bring this to the forefront in light of the many things that happened over the last year, two years," he said in the Jan. 15 article. "It's a larger conversation when it comes to gun legislation. You have to make sure to not only ban assault weapons but the ability to convert different guns that are legal to purchase for hunting, that can be converted into semi or automatic weapons. That is a concern."  

Click on the included PDF to read Mayor Tim Dougherty's press release and a letter sent by Mayors Against Illegal Guns to President Barack Obama in December.