Street wants gun-control talks with Rendell

PHILADELPHIA, March 15 (UPI) -- Philadelphia Mayor John Street requested an urgent meeting with Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell after 18 people were fatally shot in the city last week.

"We understand that there is more involved in curtailing violence than simply decreasing the number of guns. But we cannot escape the fact that there are too many guns in Philadelphia and they are a significant contributing cause to our homicide rate," Street wrote Tuesday in a news release confirming the meeting request.

Street noted Philadelphia has issued 28,000 gun permits, compared with 16,000 in New York City.