CUOMO AND SCHUMER URGE MORE THAN 1,200 LOCAL OFFICIALS IN NEW YORK TO JOIN SAFER GUNS COALITION

WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer - national leaders in the fight to keep guns out of the hands of children and criminals - today sent a letter to more than 1,200 local government officials in New York State urging them to join the Communities for Safer Guns Coalition that is encouraging gun manufacturers to adopt a code of responsible conduct, such as the one signed recently by Smith & Wesson.

Mayors, county executives, town supervisors and other officials from nearly 70 communities across the country - including 21 in New York - already have signed the Coalition's pledge to support giving a preference to gun makers that have adopted the code of conduct when their local governments buy guns for law enforcement agencies.

In part, the letter from Cuomo and Schumer reads:

"Our collective effort to support responsible gun manufacturers is already taking hold across the country, and is beginning to make a difference. To date, we have nearly 70 mayors, county executives, town supervisors and other officials who have pledged to support buying their firearms from those manufacturers who agree to make safer guns. That is the good news. The troubling news is that the gun lobby is trying to punish Smith & Wesson for doing what we all know is right. We believe that no matter what your views are in the debate over proposed gun safety laws, you will agree that the code agreed to by Smith & Wesson will help our communities."

The agreement signed by Smith & Wesson requires the company to: 1) Install mandatory gun locks and other child-safety devices on all guns. 2) Introduce "smart gun" technology in all newly designed handguns within three years that allows guns to be fired only by the owner. 3) Bar gun sales - including gun show sales - without a background check of the buyer. 4) Limit the delivery of multiple handgun sales.