Mayors' group proposes gun reform

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- A bipartisan group of about 450 U.S. mayors says it's pressing President Barack Obama to adopt broad gun regulatory reform to disarm criminals.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns want Obama to adopt dozens of reforms to curb gun violence and create a federal interstate firearms trafficking unit, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

The reforms would "dramatically improve law enforcement's ability to keep guns out of the hands of criminals -- and, in doing so, save innocent lives," said the mayors' 51-page report, called a "Blueprint for Federal Action on Illegal Guns."

The group is headed by Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston, a Democrat, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York, an Independent.

The recommendations would tighten federal oversight of thousands of gun shows held annually, the Post reported.

"Criminal activity endemic to some gun shows goes unchecked," the mayors' report said.