This has definitely been a really sad week in terms of news, especially on the heels of the shootings of two police officers and today’s stabbing of two young children. It shows that violence is hard to predict and stem. But that fact can’t be used as an argument to do completely away with gun control. While it’s true that we can’t always stop bad people from doing bad things, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. If it’s within our power to pass legislation to, for example, require background checks or classes with gun purchases, we will be doing a service for public safety and by no means taking away the rights of law-abiding citizens.

Queens resident Darrell Fuller was arraigned today on two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing Nassau County police officer Arthur Lopez and carjacking victim Raymond Facey. The shootings took place after a traffic stop near the Queens-Long Island border on Tuesday.

Last night, off-duty NYPD transit officer Ivan Marcano was shot while trying to stop an attempted robbery in the University Heights section of the Bronx. A wounded Marcano shot and killed one of the alleged suspects. He is the 12th NYPD officer to be shot this year.

At a news conference from the hospital last night, Mayor Bloomberg reiterated his call for President Obama and Governor Romney to pledge to do more to combat illegal guns on the streets. What do you say?

What's your reaction to the two police shootings in the last two days? Why are there so many police-involved shootings this year? Should the presidential candidates be talking more about gun control, or is it inappropriate to discuss politics right after a shooting?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. And the cops who in some cases are outlaws themselves. Since the main source of crime is drugs, the solution is to legalize them. If you can buy five pounds of pot at the Union Square Market for five dollars or bottles of cocaine at Genovese Drug store for a few dollars, there would be no drug related crime.

Joe
Port Richmond

Maybe there wouldn't be so many police involved shootings if the police themselves would stop selling illegal guns on the streets. It's called Karma

Dee
Harlem

While I am in favor of better gun control, I'm not convinced that restricting the
sale of firearms will prevent psychos and criminals who want them from getting
them or would have prevented these brave police officers from being shot.

But I do believe that slowing the revolving door that puts violent repeat felons
back on the street, and lengthening the sentences for those who use or possess
guns, will result in a safer society for all of us.

BIG ANDY
Manhattan Beach

I feel it's the circumstances as they happened. This man should never have been released from prison. There is no excuse for what he did because it was just plain coldblooded. If this mayor is so hung up on the illegal guns why doesn't he do something about harsher laws like maybe 10 years for possession first offence.
After that you serve another 20 years. That's it end of discussion.

This Mayor irks me to no end because he has tried to embarrass both Romney and Obama about them being irresponsible by not doing anything about the gun control.
He has a governor in his own state and so why doesn't he tell him about it out loud in the public eye. I doubt he would ever do that because he is just trying to disrupt this election because maybe his PAC is not working in the way that he hoped it would.

What is it that these millionaire politicians that are so out of touch with all of us don't understand that if you continue to leave open boarders between countries and easy access from one state to another the problem will never be corrected as long as there are sales for illegal weapons. The illegal weapons are the cause of all the crimes.
He should stop blaming the NRA for everything. Many kids are getting a reprieve for getting caught in school with weapons and they are also allowed to have possession of marijuana, etc. So to me his idiotic proposals are just insane to me.

[THUS WE HAVE A DICTATOR]

I do know that if anyone asks this mayor a question and he doesn’t like the question he always gives a very embarrassing sarcastic answer.

The city has gone to hell and he should concentrate on his job and mind his own business about things that do not concern him.

Maxxiee
Morris Park

Nassau County Police officer, Arthur Lopez, was killed by accused murderer, Darrell Fuller who also killed Raymond Facey a grandfather and a father of four. This was a senseless act by a man with a list of felony convictions. This occured at 241st. Street in Bellerose Terrace. Officer Lopez was decorated for many acts of bravery and was loved by many that knew him and went above and beyond the call of duty to serve and protect those in need. This heinous crime committed by the alleged gun man should not have happen. Darrell Fuller had a rap sheet that established himself as a most dangerous felon and should not have been release to kill. Nassau County Executive Edward Magano said after the killing ," Lopez, murderer should hear the screams of his mother and understand what he did." Well I would like to take this a step further in that a few times a day he should be put in a room and have piped in her screams and this for the rest of his life in prison. My prayers go out to to officer Lopez and his family as well as the family of Mr. Facey in this most differcult time .

Frederick
Glen Oaks Village

I WANT TO SAY THE POLICE OFFICERS GOT SHOOTS BECAUSE THEY ABUSE THEIR POWER SOME OF THEM DO A DIRTY JOB AND THAT MAKES PEOPLES BE GANGSTERS OR INVOLE AGAINS THEM

DURAND
QUEENS

When Obama is re-elected, it should be one of many topics or agendas that he should address after getting sworn in because we all know Romney will not do anything since Clint Eastwood and the NRA gave Romney tons of money!

Tony
Albany

Definitely the responsibility to control arms rests on "We the People...". The second constitutional amendment is long overdue for revision to suit the needs of the 21st century. The manufacturing, distribution, easy availability, and sale of all kinds of weapons is simply mind-boggling and incomprehensible in this time and age.

Rafael
Bushwick

1999 gave us the Columbine shootings in Colorado. In 2002, Michael Moore release Bowling for Columbine, a documentary on gun violence and the gun industry, including the NRA. Sadly, that film is as relevant today as it was ten years ago. In fact, the creation of "Stand Your Ground" laws - which led to the Trayvon Martin shooting - proves that things are actually worse. Until elected officials - city, state and federal - are willing to stand up to the NRA, nothing is likely to change.

no it is appropriate. The shootings are . My son in law was a NYC detective.

Elnora

Mayor Bloomberg is asking the Federal Government for help. He can't control guns coming into the country and/or getting into the hands of criminals. He used this as an opportunity to makie his point and to ask for help. I respect that.

crime down? NYC safe? sure, me and my unicorn agree on that
Bloomberg how's life in Fantasy land?

Crime will go down when sentences are made stiffer and jail is made tougher on convicted offenders.

Jimmy T
The Bronx

If more people carried guns then less crime would take place. Criminals will always have access to weapons. It's only fair if the law abiding citizens wear able to protect ourself against thos who possess illegal guns. Gun crime might increase the first year but afterwards over all crime would decrease significantly.

Rey
Staten Island

It's all the parents fault for all of the violence in the city! The parents are not qualified to raise kids.

It's not the guns it's the people who use them, who make the wrong decisions. It's not the politicians. It's not the laws.

When it's a younger kid/person the parents/neighborhood ppl always say Johnny was such a good kid we don't understand? So stupid there clueless!

100% the lousy parents fault!!

Because the city has such a tough law in gun ownership, criminals will find that it's easier to commit a crime with a gun because the victim most likely will not be carrying one. In states where it's easy to own a gun, there are less gun related crimes. Because "everyone" owns a gun. You have to realize that when the perpetrator knows you have a gun also, they will back down. It's just the way it is and always has been. It's common sense. We should exercise our right to bear arms. If something is outlawed, it will only become a bigger problem. Just look at the prohibition era. With more gun ownership, there can be more gun schools. It will all eventually fall into place. We're not in a perfect society, trying to create one by outlawing something will just prevent us from reaching our ideal society.

The Mayor is correct...both candidates have not addressed solutions of gun assaults on innocent people in the US. The president should sign a bill that severely penalizes people who possess & sell illegal guns.

Dennis L
Hamilton Heights

Maybe if people first took a stand against abortion where 55 million babies were not killed with guns, people would not think it is all right to kill strangers. Guns are on of many weapons that can kill people, stop just making this a gun control issue.

Fran
Brooklyn

Is it any wonder?
Listen to the adults calling and bashing police officers.
Where do you think their kids get it from?

Suzanne
Rockaway

A message of social unacceptance needs to be portrayed, especially to our children. Schools, media, youth programs. Violence is never the answer, teach peaceful solutions to anger that arises. Anger is a normal emotion, violence should not be reaction to that anger.

It's the parents!!

David

THE SHOOTINGS ARE A RESULT OF BAD PEOPLE USING FIREARMS TO DISCUSS THEIR CHOICE OF SELF-DEFENSE.

THE REASON FOR THE INCREASE OF POLICE SHOOTINGS, IN MY OPINION CAN BE LED DIRECTLY BACK TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE IT BEEN REPORTED THAT THERE WAS A POLICE DUEL AND MORE THAN 100 ROUNDS WERE FIRED, BUT NO ONE WAS HIT OR INJURED. RIGHT AWAY, THE CRIMINALS FALSELY BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN HAVE THE UPPER HAND IN USING FIREARMS AGAINST THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT IS REPORTED, THAT THE NYPD CANNOT SHOOT STRAIGHT. SO, THE PERSON WITH A FIREARM FEELS THEY HAVE A 50% CHANCE OF HITTING THEIR TARGET, BASED ON THE INEPTNESS THAT THE NYPD JUST CAN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT.

WHAT IS THE QUESTION?

ANSWER TO CURB GUN VIOLENCE, THE MANUFACTURER OF THESE WEAPONS WOULD NEED TO DOWNLOAD THE FIREARM SERIAL NUMBER INFORMATION AND WITH DUE DILIGENSE, THE POLICE WILL BE ABLE TO TRACK FIREARMS USE AND PURCHASES. THIS WOULD BE A GREAT TOOL IN REDUCING THE USE OF FIREARMS BY THOSE NOT PROPERLY TRAINED IN THE USE OF THAT WEAPON.

AS A FORMER MEMBER OF THE NRA, I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE WHEN I PURCHASED MY WEAPON FOR SELF DEFENSE; THE REASON WAS JUSTIFIED, DUE TO THE OCCUPATION I HAD ALIGNED MYSELF TO. NOW I DO NOT HAVE A WEAPON LIKE A FIREARM, AND MY NEW WAY TO DEFEND MYSELF IS BECUASE I WAS TRAINED TO USE THE MARTIAL ARTS FOR SELF DEFENCE. AND NO, HOW CAN MARTIAL ARTS REPLACE A FIREARM, WHEN PROPERLY USED, YES MARTIAL ARTS CAN BEAT A FIREARM.

CARMELITA
HARLEM

from my personal point of view I don't think I would vote, the reason being
is that I feel the only person who can run this country with fairness is
Hillary Clinton, and one of the major reason why I strongly feel this way
is, I feel she would make way for all races to BE HIRED, not like the
unfairness thats going on right now, MOSTLY the BLACKS (NEGRO),
Whites, Hispanics and those chinese looking people are being hired in
jobs they are quaify for, the score OUT MY RACE !