Ohio Mayors Say They Never Joined Bloomberg's Gun Control Group, Names Used With

[blackwolfe]

http://www.shootingwire.com/story/206613

September 23, 2009


Ohio Mayors Say They Never Joined Bloomberg's Gun Control Group, Names Used Without Permission

DELAWARE, OH - As a growing number of mayors in Ohio and around the country resign from Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's gun control group, new evidence suggests some of their names have been added to the member list and used to promote Bloomberg's political agenda without their knowledge or permission.

"Mayor Robert Shiner" (Mentor, OH) was listed in a letter from MAIG to Congress in June 2009 opposing reforms to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), as well as in a full page advertisement opposing nationwide reciprocity of concealed handgun licenses.

However, Council President Shiner hasn't been Mayor since November 2008. His office says he never agreed to be a MAIG member. Despite requesting to be removed from MAIG's membership list in July, Shiner was still listed by MAIG as the Mayor of Mentor, and as a member of MAIG, until just a few days ago.

Mayor Keith Hoffman (East Berlin) said his participation, which began about a month ago, resulted from a misunderstanding of the group's objectives, and he is currently trying to get his name off the list. "It was a mistake really," he said. "They swindle you in and then put your name on the list."

Mayor Dale Strasser (Brunswick, OH) found his name used in MAIG advertising when it was actually the Brunswick city manager, Robert Zienkowski, who signed up for the group.

According to the NRA, at least 28 other mayors have appeared on the MAIG membership list despite the fact they were not mayors of the localities as advertised:

Matthew J. Avara - Pascagoula, Mississippi

Jean M. Benson - Palm Desert, California

Cary Bozeman - Bremerton, Washington

Jim Brown - Lockland, Ohio

Joseph J. Cisco, Jr. - Ellwood City, Pennsylvania

James C. DiNardo - Hazlet, New Jersey

Joseph V. Doria, Jr. - Bayonne, New Jersey

John Glanzer - Newberry, Florida

Andrew G. Humphrey - Wayzata, Minnesota

Richard H. Hyde - Waukegan, Illinois

Jack Killion - Pennsauken, New Jersey

Joseph S. Kroll - Haverhill, Florida

Eugene Kulick - Little Falls, New Jersey

Raymond F. Marin - North Miami Beach, Florida

Bruce Malcolm - Fernandina Beach, Florida

Lorraine H. Morton - Evanston, Illinois

Rita L. Mullins - Palatine, Illinois

Mark Roberts - Douglass, Kansas

Heinz Rodgers - Edwardsville, Kansas

Marc Searl - Hemet, California

Joseph D. Serrano, Sr. - Santa Fe Springs, California

David Shumaker - Bristol, Tennessee

Emilia M. Siciliano - Shrewsbury, New Jersey

David C. Strong - Winter Park, Florida

Gary Van Eyll - Chaska, Minnesota

Bill Welch - State College, Pennsylvania (died)

Carl Wilkes - Merriam, Kansas

William P. "Will" Wynn - Austin, Texas

Over 60 mayors have now removed their names, though the MAIG website still lists forty-six Ohio mayors as members. While some, such as Mayors Donald Plusquellic (Akron), Mark Mallory (Cincinnati), Frank Jackson (Cleveland), and Mike Coleman (Columbus) support gun control measures, many others may have been misled by the Bloomberg organization or may have been added to the member list against their will or without their knowledge.

"Any organization can make occasional errors," said BFA Vice Charman Chad D. Baus, who has lead the investigation of MAIG's membership policies. "But when this many people quit an organization or say they never joined in the first place, it raises serious questions."

Baus went on to say, "Buckeye Firearms Association has a list of supporters, donors, and newsletter subscribers that numbers in the thousands. And we have no trouble at all accurately maintaining that list. Why can't Mayor Bloomberg's group, with millions in funding, maintain a list with only a few hundred names?

"My guess is that there just aren't that many mayors who support the group. So maybe they have to fudge the member list to carry out Bloomberg's political agenda."
Contact:
Chad Baus cbaus@buckeyefirearms.org 419-572-1526

[Hazcat]

Glad to see the MSM reporting this. 

(No disrespect meant to Shootingwire)

[fightingquaker13]

Gotta say this good news. Either MAIG has low ethical standards and just put peoples names on the list (likely) OR these guys joined and are backtracking because they saw which way the wind was blowing  (also likely). Either way we win, as it shows that pols in swing states are recognizing that gun control is a loser of an issue with little popular support and a well organized opposition. 
FQ13

[Pathfinder]

Lorraine Morton was (a pitiful, lousy excuse of a) mayor of Evanston up until this past April. MAIG just left her on rather than try to sign the new one up. I dion't know why, that is an uber-liberal anti-gun town, she probably would have joined up if they just asked. I guess it was just easier to go with the same list and not fact-check.

[tombogan03884]

 For anti gunners it's ALWAYS better to skip the fact check.

[Sponsor]

[twyacht]

Already sent an email to Scott Moore, Mayor of my town of Coral Springs, asking why he would support a large anti gun Bloomberg supported anti-gun organization, when CCW applications are at an all time high in FL., and approaching 1Million Approved Permits.

(you can hear the crickets,......)

I hope he hears them next election... As this is not a banner membership, meaning you have to dig to find out anything.....

That's alright, there is a Wine Tasting With The Mayor in a couple of weeks at a local wine shop,......

Sounds like a perfect time to ask him......

Oh, and yes he is a card carrying member of the DNC...