Monday marked the one month anniversary of the Newtown Connecticut school shooting. Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry, Angola Mayor Richard Hickman, and public safety officials gathered to remember the victims of Sandy Hooke Elementary school and to ask Congress to end gun violence.
Both mayors are members of the organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns founded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Henry and Hickman outlined the three changes they would like to see Washington enact: require criminal background checks for all gun sales, ban military-style assault weapons and make gun trafficking a federal crime.
Mayor Henry acknowledged the unlikelihood of ending all gun violence but says it is still beneficial to delay someone who wishes to buy a gun and do others harm.
"There should be a check on anybody who makes a purchase," Henry said. "In private purchases, that's going to be much harder,particularly in gun shows, but if we can slow down the process. We'll never get rid of it, we're not naive."
In addition to the city’s efforts, a new national television ad will begin airing in the Fort Wayne market explaining the significance of decreasing gun violence.