WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Conference of Mayors President Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter today issued the following statement after the NRA's announcement:

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"NRA officials today blamed everyone but themselves for the conditions that permitted the monstrous attack on the children and teachers in Sandy Hook Elementary School.  They said that gun laws don't work and that pursuing legislation is a waste of time.  They proposed instead the equivalent of an arms race.

"Through the years their solution to the nation's public safety problems has always been more guns.   With this morning's statement, it's clear that nothing has changed at the NRA.

"Through the years our focus at the Conference of Mayors has always been the enactment of legislation, which reduces gun violence in this nation and, following Newtown, we feel more strongly about this than ever before. 

"On Monday, three days after the tragedy, we called on the President and Congress to:

• Enact legislation to ban assault weapons and other high-capacity magazines being prepared by Senator Dianne Feinstein and others;
• Strengthen the national background check system and eliminate loopholes in it; and
• Strengthen the penalties for straw purchases of guns.

"The discussion of steps that need to be taken to make schools safer places for children and teachers is now underway.  If it's clear that the NRA wants to be part of a serious discussion, we will listen to what they propose in the weeks ahead.

"The NRA says that it is not the problem, it is the solution—and that's the problem."

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,295 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

SOURCE The U.S. Conference of Mayors