Batman cinema shooting: Presidential hopefuls 'must show leadership'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

America’s gun laws have come under renewed scrutiny, with Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, challenging the presidential candidates to show some “leadership” on the issue.

Mr Bloomberg, a long-time advocate of gun law reform, said: “Soothing words are nice, but maybe it’s time that the two people who want to be president tell us what they are going to do about it." As New York deployed additional police around its cinemas to prevent copycat shootings, Mr Bloomberg said it was time for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to “look in the mirror” and follow their convictions. “There are so many murders with guns every day,” he said. “It’s just got to stop.” Suspending their political campaigns for a day yesterday, both Mr Obama and Mr Romney confined themselves to “soothing words”, avoiding any mention of how they might tackle the scourge of gun crime in America. “Such violence, such evil is senseless. It’s beyond reason,” Mr Obama told a subdued crowd in Fort Myers, Florida, before returning early to Washington.Mr Romney, the Republican candidate, said he was “deeply saddened by the news of the senseless violence” but he also stayed well clear of the politics of gun control. The Brady Campaign, which lobbies for stricter gun laws, said the Aurora shootings were “yet another tragic reminder that we have a national problem of easy availability of guns in this country”. Both Mr Obama and Mr Romney have at different times supported tougher gun laws, but with key swing states such as Florida and Virginia having very strong gun lobbies, analysts say that raising the issue risks antagonising the powerful National Rifle Association, which spends millions lobbying against gun controls. No permits, licensing or individual registration is required in Colorado to purchase and carry firearms, but dealers must keep records of purchasers. The Aurora shooting took place less than 20 miles from Columbine High School, the scene of a shooting in 1999 in which 13 people were killed.