By Adam Martin
San Francisco Examiner

The blast of a shotgun split the foggy air next to Lake Merced on Wednesday afternoon, demanding the attention of onlookers, including Mayor Gavin Newsom. Within five seconds, a computer system calculated the location of the shot to within feet inside the roughly 500-square-yard parking lot of the San Francisco Police Department’s training facility on the shore of the lake. Sensors picked up the shot, triangulated the location and marked it on an aerial photo of the lot on a computer screen. Read more »

By Bonnie Eslinger
Examiner
Originally Published August 9, 2007

A city hit hard by gun violence should not have gun sales at its back door, said Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is expected to announce today that The City is seeking state legislation to end gun shows at the Cow Palace.

While the exhibition hall is technically located in Daly City, it is just blocks away from San Francisco’s Sunnydale Housing Project, one of many neighborhoods in The City plagued by gun violence.

Although the gun shows are legal, Newsom said numerous illegal gun transactions occur in the parking lot during the show, which will take place Saturday and Sunday. Another gun show is scheduled in November.

“It needs to be shut down, and we’re going to do our best to do that,” Newsom said. Read more »

By Bonnie Eslinger
San Francisco Examiner
Originally Published June 19, 2007

Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Kamala Harris gave public support to a national effort lead by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to repeal legislation that limits a local government’s access to federal information that traces gun sales and ownership.  A bipartisan campaign brought about by Mayors Against Illegal Guns wants to prevent criminals from illegally obtaining guns by cracking down on gun dealers. It also is pushing for law enforcement to be able to share information more easily. Read more »