Pittsburgh Mayor to Trump: Guns in synagogues are not the answer

Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto joins Meet the Press a day after a deadly synagogue shooting killed 11.

CHUCK TODD:

And joining me now is Bill Peduto, the mayor of Pittsburgh. Mr. Mayor, welcome back to Meet the Press.

MAYOR BILL PEDUTO:

Thank you, Chuck.

CHUCK TODD:

Let me just start with what you — ask you this, what new information this morning can you share with us about what more you’ve learned about the incident and the killer?

MAYOR BILL PEDUTO:

Well, there’s a press conference that’s scheduled this morning where we will be releasing the names of the victims. The families were notified yesterday evening. And as you can imagine there’s a lot of sorrow right now within the city.

CHUCK TODD:

You know, many synagogues have protection, sadly, constantly, because threats are constant in the Jewish community. Sometimes they’re low-level, sometimes they’re very serious. So sadly this isn’t, it — this isn’t a shock and yet it is unexpected. Can you just share with how the community is sort of reacting? How the — particularly in, particularly in the Jewish community there.

MAYOR BILL PEDUTO:

Well, in Pittsburgh our hearts are broken. Right now we’re trying to grapple with this horrendous crime, something that is one of the darkest days in our city’s history. Our city’s a small city. So all communities are connected together. So we understand that an attack against our Jewish community is an attack against our entire city. We’re here right now to help the victims’ families. So that’s, that’s the foremost part of what we need to do. And the second part is to get to the folks who have been injured, our officers and others, and to be able to help them and their families as well.

CHUCK TODD:

President Trump said he had spoken with you yesterday. How was that conversation? What can you share?

MAYOR BILL PEDUTO:

It was cordial. We basically talked about the ,the horrific tragedy. I was able to share with him the details of just how bad it had been. And he basically said that any resources that would be necessary would be given. And right now there are federal officials from the F.B.I. coming from all parts of this country to help Pittsburgh.

CHUCK TODD:

Well, that’s the — that’s what he can do with the federal government. Is there something, did you ask him, is there anything he personally can do? Is there something you’d like to see him do personally?

MAYOR BILL PEDUTO:

There is. I belong to an organization, a bipartisan organization, called Mayors Against Illegal Guns. I don’t think that the answer to this problem is solved by having our synagogues, mosques and churches filled with armed guards or our schools filled with armed guards. I think we’re dealing with an irrational person who acted irrationally. And trying to create laws around that is not the way that we should govern. We should try to stop irrational behavior from happening at the forefront. And not try to create laws around irrational behavior to continue.

CHUCK TODD:

Before yesterday’s incident if I’d have asked you if you had personally seen or felt as if the tone had changed or hateful rhetoric had been on the rise in Pittsburgh and you’d seen it, what would you have said before yesterday’s event?

MAYOR BILL PEDUTO:

No. It was, it was another Saturday, October morning. Like so many others in Western Pennsylvania. And it has forever changed this city. But there wasn’t a, a drum beat of anti-Semitism or any type of behavior that would have ever warranted any reaction by public safety that something like this could have happened.

CHUCK TODD:

The president says he wants to come to Pittsburgh. Would you like to see him attend a vigil event?

MAYOR BILL PEDUTO:

That’s really up to the families themselves. You know, we’re going to be working together as we have. We’ve had good cooperation from the state and the governor. And, you know, this is a Conservative synagogue. So the funerals will be very quickly. As soon as tomorrow. So that’s really up to the families and whether they would want the president to be here.

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