Gun violence remains one of the most serious issues facing Baltimore. However, we are making progress. Over the past ten years, Baltimore has made significant progress reducing gun violence; for the past three years, homicides have been reduced to the lowest level since the 1980s. So far this year, we have seen a 17% reduction in gun crime citywide, and since 2008, we have reduced gun crime by 28%.

This is not a cause for celebration-it is a call for further action. The progress we have made shows that Baltimore can be a safer city, but we must do more.

This week I presented a proposal to the Baltimore City Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to introduce new, tougher penalties for illegal gun possession during the 2011 legislative session. I asked council members to work with me and support legislation that would create a minimum sentence of 18 months and a maximum sentence of 10 years for defendants arrested with an illegal, loaded firearm.

The law will be an additional tool that law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts can use to get illegal guns, and the criminals who use them, off our streets. Under current State law, many individuals arrested carrying an illegal, loaded firearm are charged with a misdemeanor. Too many of these convicted gun offenders are quickly released back into the community and go on to commit other gun crimes.

Statistics from Baltimore's gun registry show that very few offenders charged with misdemeanor gun crimes serve significant jail time. In fact, 82% of all jail time imposed by Baltimore's Courts for misdemeanor gun offenders this year was suspended. The average amount of jail time served by misdemeanor gun offenders sentenced in Baltimore's District Court is only four months.

There is going to be a true grassroots effort by the citizens of Maryland to urge the passage of tougher gun laws to reduce gun violence throughout our state. We will engage the community in this debate, and we will bring Baltimore to Annapolis.

The data tells us that the people Police arrest today for gun offenses are the same people who go on to shoot, kill, and rob again once they are released from jail. 40% of Baltimore's homicide suspects and felony gun offenders have prior gun arrests.

Attacking gun crime means cracking down on illegal guns and sending a clear message that we will not tolerate them in Baltimore and Maryland. We need to make sure that criminals with illegal loaded guns go to jail.

A tragic and recent example of these unacceptable statistics is the senseless murder of our former colleague, Councilman Ken Harris.

One of the men convicted of robbery and felony murder in Ken Harris' murder trial-Charles McGaney-had previously been charged with, and convicted of, illegal gun possession in Baltimore County. Like so many others, he received a very short sentence for carrying an illegal, loaded handgun on August 5, 2008 and was back on the street less than six weeks later, on September 20th when Ken was shot and killed during a robbery at New Haven Lounge in Northwood Shopping Center.

In the words of Ken's surviving daughter, Nicole:

"As long as criminals can walk the streets with guns and without the least bit of fear or respect for the judicial system, any of us can easily become a victim. We cannot wait for criminals to act before we act. I urge our legislators to pass new, tough handgun laws to save other families from experiencing the pain and loss my family endures."

I am honored to have the support of this very brave and passionate young woman.

Today, I ask residents to join me in the fight to put an end to gun violence in Baltimore and Maryland. This legislation is critical to our efforts to make Baltimore and Maryland safer by cracking down on gun offenders and getting illegal guns off our streets.

Watch WJZ's report on my proposal.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at my website or by email at mayor@baltimorecity.gov. You can also follow the Mayor's Office and be a part of the conversation on Twitter.