UPDATED: Gaithersburg Mayor Issues Statement On Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Gun Violence Position

Update -- 1:45 p.m., April 11, 2013

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments approved a motion to reconsider its position on gun violence by a vote of 24-4-1. A substitute motion to ask for committee input and address how to handle potential legislative positions was approved by a vote of 26-2-1, the city of Gaithersburg announced.

Council Member Cathy Drzyzgula, who voted against the original position, praised the COG for its decision.

"MWCOG has a long history of sucessfully addressing difficult regional challenges such as Metro funding and governance and gang violence," Drzyzgula told Patch in an email. "By restarting this process in way that will better utilize the strengths of the organization and the input from our members MWCOG  can develop the best recommendations for our region."

Original Post -- 7:10 p.m., April 9, 2013

In response to the newly adopted position on gun violence by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney A. Katz issued the following statement during Monday evening's City Council work session:

The City of Gaithersburg and other members of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) have been discussing the issue of gun violence in our communities and appropriate ways to address this serious problem. At its March meeting the Policy Board of the MWCOG adopted the entirety of the position announced by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) as the MWCOG policy. Councilmember Cathy Drzyzgula voted against this action after consulting with the Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council and our Police Chief, Mark Sroka. The position taken by Council Member Drzyzgula and subsequently by the Mayor and Council speaks to the process by which MWCOG’s position was established, and the fact that the MWCOG position does not address associated issues such as education and mental health. 

After a motion to direct MWCOG’s internal committees, including the Human Services and Public Safety, Police Chief’s and Fire Chief’s committees, to review options and propose a policy to the board failed on a tie vote, the motion to adopt the IACP position was adopted. A letter of concern signed by a dozen MWCOG board members, including Council Member Drzyzgula, who serves as President of the MWCOG Corporation Board, was immediately sent to the MWCOG Board of Directors. The specific views of the City of Gaithersburg were expressed in a separate letter sent on April 3 to the 21 member jurisdictions. Both letters are posted on our website.  The proposal to send Gaithersburg’s letter was publicly discussed in the “From the Mayor and Council” portion of our meeting on April 2, which can be viewed online as well. The discussion starts approximately 31 minutes into the meeting.

The COG's board of directors voted last month to take a position on gun violence and support measures "such as an assault weapons ban, closing the 'gun show loophole' and approving firearms waiting periods," The Washington Post reported. 

The vote stemmed from December school shootings in Newtown, Conn., according to the news report.

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"As public officials, there's really no greater responsibility that we're entrusted with than the safety of our communities...those of us in position need to consider what we can do to minimize risks," Spiegel said.

Read more on the COG position on The Washington Post.