Founded and funded by rabidly anti-gun billionaire and failed Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, the deceptively named Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) was created in 2006 to lobby for gun control, including increased restrictions and bans on completely legal firearms.
The group’s real claim to fame, though, is how often its gun-grabbing members are caught engaging in criminal behavior, including firearm-related offenses.
The latest MAIG member alleged to have run afoul of the law is Lovely Warren, the Democrat mayor of Rochester, New York. Last October, Ms. Warren was indicted on felony campaign finance charges, including a first-degree scheme to defraud. This month, the mayor’s husband, Timothy Granison, was accused of being part of a “cocaine trafficking ring” and faces charges of criminal firearm possession and criminal possession of controlled substances. This follows a police raid on the family home that uncovered illicit drugs, a semiautomatic rifle and a loaded, unregistered handgun.
Ms. Warren has denied owning the drugs or the guns and not been charged in relation to the trafficking investigation. However, news reports indicate that Mr. Granison is a convicted felon, which would question his ability to lawfully possess firearms under federal and state law. Sandra Doorley, the local district attorney, has refused to rule out additional charges, including counts relating to possession of the rifle.
It is an uncomfortable fact that not long ago, Ms. Warren called for taking “illegal guns” off the streets and focusing on “bringing these people to justice that are picking up these weapons,” with the city coordinating with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to curtail gun crimes. In a similar vein, every mayor who joins MAIG is asked to sign a “Statement of Principles” that includes (besides the standard demands for things like more background checks, red flag and storage laws), a commitment “to promote the enforcement of existing gun laws that have swift and certain consequences,” and “encourage police to trace all suspected crime guns to identify the sources of firearms, to develop leads, and to identify potential traffickers.”
Perhaps MAIG should swallow a big spoonful of the same medicine it continually presses on others, and require its new and existing members to pass a criminal background check.