Mayor Coleman calls for 'common-sense' gun laws in State of City speech

[Kolesar]

With 34 victims of gun violence standing behind him on the stage - one, he said, for each of the 34 people killed by guns each day nationwide - Coleman made an impassioned plea for what he called "common-sense gun policies."

He railed against proposals in the state legislature to allow concealed guns in bars and to allow convicted drug dealers to own guns. And he called on the promoters of a gun show regularly held at Westland Mall to make sure everyone who buys firearms there goes through a background check.

"C&E is the company that holds gun shows at Westland Mall," Coleman said. "Without the proper background checks, unlicensed private gun sellers will have the ability to sell to gangsters, criminals and drug pushers at the C&E gun shows.

"C&E, we are calling you out today. We are calling you out! If you have a nickel of moral responsibility in your pocket, I ask you to spend it in Columbus. Require background checks on all private gun sales at your gun shows."

Reached in Virginia this evening, Steven and Annette Elliott, who own the traveling gun show, said they offered to set up optional background checks for private sellers, but noted that the law requires only licensed dealers to do background checks.

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