Sharpton, Kelly Join Forces To Call For Assault Weapons Ban
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - On this Christmas, Rev. Al Sharpton and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly have joined forces in support of a renewal of the national assault weapons ban.
Sharpton said the goal is "to stop gun violence next year."
1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg reports
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Commissioner Kelly was at the National Action Network's annual Christmas meal for the hungry and toy giveaway in Harlem.
"We don't always agree on everything. But certainly on the issue of reducing violence, we stand as one," Kelly told 1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg. "Rev. Sharpton's been a critical ally to the department in helping reduce violence."
The unlikely duo said they are dedicating this holiday and the New Year to achieving a national assault weapons ban, Sandberg reported.
The renewed call for the ban on assault weapons comes just a couple of weeks after gunman Adam Lanza used a Bushmaster .223 semi-automatic rifle to kill 20 first graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
It has also been almost 10 years since New York City Councilman James Davis was gunned downed in City Hall.
Davis' brother Geoffrey announced his organization 'Stop The Violence' is launching a grassroots campaign to help get traction for the ban.
"We've got to shut the whole thing down. Whoever supports assault weapons - boycott, a serious boycott. If you support that NRA, then your company is getting boycotted," Davis told Sandberg.
Sharpton said the rash of mass shootings needs to end.
"What happened in Connecticut only brought it back to the forefront," Sharpton said.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an outspoken gun control advocate, has used the Newtown massacre to renew his call for meaningful legislation to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
Other lawmakers have also called for stiffer gun control legislation and a renewal of the assault weapons ban. The ban was allowed to expire in 2004.
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