Res. No. 104-00-109971 RESOLUTION NO.104-00-10.9.97
2
3
4A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION
5OFTHE CITY OFSOUTH MIAMI,FLORIDA,RELATING TO
6 PUBLIC SAFETY;COMMENDING SMITH &WESSON FOR
7 INSTALLING CHILD-PROOF LOCKSONWEAPONS;
8 PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
9
10
11 WHEREAS,the Mayor and CityCommission of theCity of SouthMiami
12 are charged with protecting the public health,safetyand welfare;and,
13
14 WHEREAS,eachyearinthenation,intheState of Floridaandin Miami-
15 DadeCounty,Florida,amultitude of childrengainaccessto firearms thatare
16 storedintheirhomeswiththe painful resultthatmanyinnocent persons are
17 injured,maimed or killed;and,
18
19 WHEREAS,Smith&Wesson,thenation'sbiggestgunmaker,has agreed
20toput child-proof locks onweapons;and,
21
22 WHEREAS,Smith&Wessonhasincurredthewrath of othergunmakers
23 because of its public safety initiative;and,
24
25 WHEREAS,the Mayor and City Commission desireto commend Smith &
26 Wesson forits courageous corporate action.
27
28 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
29 COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI,FLORIDA;
30
31 Section 1.Mayor and City Commission hereby commend Smith &
32 Wesson for taking theinitiativeto make a commitment topublic safety by
33 equipping its new guns with child-proof locks.The Mayor and City Commission
34 believe thatthegun lock initiative willresultin reducing the number of accidental
35deathsand injuries that occur eachyearasaresult of the ability of young people to
36gainaccessto,playwith,or otherwise improperly use,weapons intheir homes.
37 The Mayorand City Commission further commend Smith &Wesson for taking
38this action intheface of an unwarranted industry reaction against its initiative.
39
40 Section 2.Thisresolutionshalltake effect immediately uponapproval.
41
42 PASSED AND ADOPTED this 2nd day of May,2000.
Additions shown by underlining and deletions shown by overstriking.
1
2 ATTEST:APPROVED:
3
4
5 CITY CLERK MAYOR
6
7
8 COMMISSION VOTE:5-0
9READANDAPPROVEDASTO FORM:Mayor Robaina:Yea
10 Vice Mayor Feliu:Yea
11 Commissioner Wiscombe:Yea
12 CITY ATTORNEY Commissioner Bethel:Yea
13 Commissioner Russell:Yea
14
Page2 of 2
Resolution No.104-00-10997
CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI
INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM
To:Mayor and City Comm'n.Date:April 26,2000 aff
From:Earl G.Gallop J&^Re:Resolution Commending Smith &
^Wpccnn rP<altiilWesson[Feliu]
Subject:A resolution relating to public safety;commending Smith &Wesson on installing
child-proof locksonweapons.
Discussion:Eachyear,locallyandnationally,amultitude of childrengainaccesstofirearms
thatarestoredintheirhomesandshootthemselvesandothers.Smith&Wesson,the nation's
biggestgunmaker,hasagreedtoput child-proof locksonweapons.The company hasbeen
hotly criticized by other gun manufacturers.Comm'r.Feliu would likeforthe commission
to commend the company forits public safety initiative.
Recommendation:Approval.
Miami Herald:Miami-Dade sued over gun purchase plan Page \0f2
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MIAMI-DADE
Published Thursday.April27,2000,intheMiamiHerald
Miami-Dade sued over gun purchase
plan
FromHerald Staff andWire Reports
Seven gun makers andanindustrygroup sued Miami-Dade County,15other
localitiesand the Department of Housing andUrban Development on
Wednesday overaplantogivepreferentialtreatmenttoSmith&Wesson when
buying guns forlaw enforcement agencies.
The lawsuit,filedinan Atlanta federal court,alleges anillegal conspiracy in
restraint of trade.
Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas,who was attending atown meeting on the
Elian Gonzalez controversy,could not be reached for comment Wednesday
night.
In March,President Clinton announced a landmark gun safety agreement with
Smith &Wesson,the nation's largest gun maker.The plan included the
installation of gun locks onall the weapons it sells,the introduction within three
years of "smart gun"technology and barring sales ofits weapons atgun shows
without a background check.
Smith &Wesson was to be dropped from lawsuits against gun makers that were
being contemplated by federal officials and some cities.In addition to Smith &
Wesson,any other gun maker that agreed to the plan would also be given
preferential treatment.Smith &Wesson has been the only gun maker to sign
onto the agreement thus far.
Two days after the federal agreement was signed,Penelas joined the mayors of
Detroit and Atlanta and HUDto say their law enforcement agencies would give
preference to guns made by Smith &Wesson and other companies that sign a
safety code.
"It only makes sense to use the purchasing power of government to promote
public safety andgun safety reforms that will save lives and reduce the cost of
gun violence to taxpayers,"the mayor said last month.
Smith &Wesson officials lauded the move,but competing gun makers are
balking.
"These local officials have tried everything from litigation to economic extortion
to compel compliance ona national level withtheirownindividual ideas about
gun design,ownership anddistribution,"said Robert Delfay,president of the
National Shooting Sports Foundation,a gun industry groupthatisapartyin the
lawsuit.
The lawsuit names as defendants New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal,who helped drawup the
agreement.
http://www.herald.com/content/today/news/dade/digdocs/OO 1389.htm 4/27/00
Miami Herald:Miami-Dade sued over gun purchase plan Page 2of2
Also named,in addition to Miami-Dade,were the California communities of San
Francisco,Berkeley,East PaloAlto,Inglewood,Oakland and San Mateo;
Bridgeport,Conn.;Atlanta;Gary,Ind.;Boston;Detroit;St.Louis;Newark,N.J.;
Philadelphia;and the District of Columbia.
"We are demanding citiesstoptheeffortofusingtheirpurchasingpowerto
controlthedistributionand design offirearms,"said Jeff Reh,general counsel
for.Beretta U.S.A.,one of the seven suing companies.
Rehsaidthemayorswereattemptingto expand theirauthoritybeyondtheir
cities.
HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo called the lawsuit "frivolous"and said it was "a
vain attempt todistractfrom[gunmakers']failure to take responsibilityfortheir
share of the tragic problem of gun violence."
Cuomo hasbarredfederalpolice agencies that patrol publichousing from
buying guns whose makers donot adhere to the agreement.
Miami-Dade sued the industry,contending that guns are defective products
because they donot contain built-intrigger locks to prevent unauthorized use.
The county aimed to recover fromgun manufacturers the cost oftreating
gunshot victims.
Butin December,Miami-DadeCircuit Judge Amy Deanruledthatthe county
lacks standing to sue manufacturers on behalf of shooting victims.
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[$100,000 -$200,000 jz]the home that's vou!||J |Hmitpr
Contact Us
Copyright 2000 MiamiHerald
http://www.herald.com/content/today/news/dade/digdocs/001389.htm 4/27/00
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION
OFTHE CITY OFSOUTH MIAMI,FLORIDA,RELATING TO
PUBLIC SAFETY;COMMENDING SMITH &WESSON FOR
INSTALLING CHILD-PROOF LOCKSONWEAPONS;
PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS,theMayorandCity Commission of theCity of SouthMiami
arechargedwithprotectingthepublichealth,safetyandwelfare;and,
WHEREAS,eachyearinthe nation,intheState of Floridaandin Miami-
Dade County,Florida,amultitude of childrengainaccessto firearms thatare
stored intheirhomeswiththe painful resultthatmanyinnocent persons are
injured,maimed orkilled;and,
WHEREAS,Smith&Wesson,thenation'sbiggestgunmaker,hasagreed
toput child-proof locksonweapons;and,
WHEREAS,Smith &Wessonhas incurred thewrath of othergun makers
because of its public safety initiative;and,
WHEREAS,the Mayor and City Commission desireto commend Smith &
Wesson forits courageous corporateaction.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI,FLORIDA;
Section 1.Mayorand City Commission hereby commend Smith &
Wesson fortakingtheinitiativetomakea commitment topublic safety by
equipping its new guns with child-proof locks.The Mayor and City Commission
believe thatthegun lock initiative willresultin reducing the number of accidental
deathsandinjuriesthatoccureachyearasaresult of theability of young people to
gainaccessto,play with,or otherwise improperly use,weapons intheir homes.
TheMayorandCity Commission further commend Smith&Wesson fortaking
thisactionintheface of anunwarranted industry reactionagainstits initiative.
Section 2.This resolutionshalltake effect immediately upon approval.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 2nd day of May,2000.
Additions shown byunderliningand deletions shown by overetriking.
ATTEST:
CITY CLERK
READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM:
~^i_^&€k //'
CITY ATTORNEY
5 *(O w?&
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APPROVED
MAYOR
COMMISSION VOTE:
Mayor Robaina:
Vice Mayor Feliu:
Commissioner Wiscomb:
Commissioner Bethel:
Commissioner Russell: