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Bloomberg to Talk Guns With McCain, Reid, Biden

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will head to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to meet with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and “various Senators,” including Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John McCain, R-Ariz., according to the mayor’s office.

Bloomberg is speaking to members about gun control issues, a congressional source confirmed, but details on what policies he will advocate in his one-on-one meetings were not immediately available. According to Bloomberg’s public schedule, he will meet at 1 p.m. with Biden, who was designated by the president to lead the charge on gun issues. Bloomberg then will hold a media availability at the White House at 2 p.m.

Bloomberg’s guidance says he will meet with senators “throughout the day,” but he has events in Maryland at 9 a.m. and in New York at 7 p.m.

The mayor has taken a lead role in advocating for stricter gun control measures nationwide, especially in the months since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn. His super PAC spent more than $2 million on a Tuesday special election in an Illinois House race against Democrat Debbie Halvorson, who has been supported by the National Rifle Association. The PAC’s intervention helped pave the way for Cook County Chief Administrative Officer Robin Kelly to win in a landslide.

After the Illinois race was called, Bloomberg released the following statement.

“This is an important victory for common sense leadership on gun violence, a problem that plagues the whole nation. And it’s the latest sign that voters across the country are demanding change from their representatives in Washington — not business as usual,” Bloomberg said. “As Congress considers the President’s gun package, voters in Illinois have sent a clear message: we need common sense gun legislation now. Now it’s up to Washington to act.”

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