According to the Chicago Tribune, Mark Glaze, who has been at the head of the Michael Bloomberg backed Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2011, is stepping down from this post.

It sounds like Glaze realized their side can’t win this debate and decided to use his time for more valuable pursuits.

According to the Tribune,

“It is time for me to hand off the fight to somebody else,” Glaze, 43, said in an interview. “The issue is unbelievably important to me. But it’s a tough issue and a tough grind. And there’s a point where you feel you’ve done all you can do…” “…People who thought that you were going to win the hardest public policy fight there is overnight and defeat the toughest special interest were kidding themselves,” he said.

This is only the most recent blow to Bloomberg’s anti-gun Mayors group.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper advised MAIG to stay out of Colorado politics for fear of them costing Democrats elections. This is following the fact that the group was defeated in the Colorado recall elections of anti-gun state senators Angela Giron and John Morse. The group campaigned hard for the senators, but failed to protect the senators against recall amid a strong grassroots campaign. A third senator, Evie Hudak, resigned after being the target of a recall effort.

There have also been recent allegations that the group has offered to pay off mayors who attempt to leave the organization in order protect dwindling membership numbers.

Earlier this year, the group took heat for including the names of criminals, notably one of the Boston Bombing suspects, in a list of “victims of gun violence”.

The group has also been in hot water for using New York City’s taxpayer funded resources in its lobbying efforts. Including hosting its websites on city web servers and using city paid employees for lobbying efforts in other states and at the national level.

The group has also had poor turnout at stops on its anti-gun bus tour, with pro gun protestors often outnumbering the anti-gun protestors.

A few months ago it was reported that over 50 mayors have left the group recently, and recruiting efforts of newly elected mayors are falling flat.