Peter Benjamin, the mayor of Garrett Park, issued a statement Wednesday along with mayors across the country in response to President Barack Obama's plan to prevent gun violence. Benjamin is a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Here is his statement:

"As mayor of the Town of Garrett Park, MD, I urge our Maryland Senators Mikulski and Cardin and our Representative Van Hollen to support the President’s comprehensive plan to prevent gun violence and to take all appropriate actions to convince their fellow Congressional leaders to vote to protect not only our children but all people in our country from the scourge of death and injury created by persons wielding guns. Our objective must not be meeting violence with violence; it must be preventing violence in the first place."