New York mayor emerges as national anti-gun champion

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has long been a persistent advocate for tighter gun laws, but in the wake of the Newtown school massacre, his voice has become one of the most recognisable in the United States.

Bloomberg, 70, is among America’s richest people. He frequently finances pet causes and, with his final term at the helm of the biggest US city over next year, he is looking for something into which he can pour his clout and cash.

Known in the Big Apple for presiding over a falling murder rate and numerous health initiatives, Bloomberg has long made the national issue of gun controls a priority.