Mayors Coalition Against Illegal Guns Hits Nerve

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Mayor John Peyton is flooded with emails from local residents questioning his participation in the organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Last year, Peyton hosted New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who came to Jacksonville to talk about getting guns out of the hands of criminals.

"There is no effort on anyone's behalf to undermine the 2nd Amendment right," said Peyton Tuesday from his city hall office.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns is a coalition of mayors working to strengthen laws to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. It has grown to include 450 mayors from across the country.

Alex Szabo met with the mayor, and believes law abiding gun owners have something to fear.

"I'm afraid it is very polarized. While we are against crime, we don't want to see people hurt, but we don't want to see civil liberties violated either," said Szabo.

Peyton said he wants to keep residents safe from illegal gun violence in a city that has led Florida much of past decade in number of murders.

"We want to promote (the) 2nd Amendment and make law abiding citizens have more freedom and flexibility," Peyton said.

But critics are not convinced.

"We have lots of laws on the books already," said Szabo. "If we simply enforce the laws, we go after criminals not guns."

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