Mayors Against Illegal Guns: "Our plans are full speed ahead."

[Robb]

(Executive director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns Mark) Glaze and other supporters of tougher gun laws pointed to states like Minnesota, New Mexico and Oregon as places for potential campaigns to pass bills requiring background checks for private gun sales or other firearms legislation. Gun bills in those states came close to passing this year.

And in Maine and Washington, gun control supporters intend to push ballot initiatives, going directly to voters and bypassing elected officials, who they say are vulnerable to pressure from the gun lobby.

“After Newtown, there couldn’t have been a more powerful moment to get this done,” said Ethan Strimling, a former state legislator in Maine and a leader in discussions there about putting a background check initiative on the ballot as early as next year.

“And when you can’t get it done through our elected officials under that kind of emotion because of the N.R.A., you have no choice but to go directly to the people,” Mr. Strimling said.

Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/us/in-gun-debate-divide-grows-as-both-sides-dig-in-for-battle.html