New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Wednesday scolded the suggestion that students killed in Virginia Tech shooting could have defended themselves if they were armed.

"I can't think of anything dumber than to say let's give all students on campus a gun," said the mayor at an event in Jersey City, in response to one gun rights advocate group's remarks that Monday's tragedy at Virginia Tech may have been avoided if the students were able to arm themselves on campus.

"In some senses, I hate to even answer the question because it's sick," Bloomberg said.

The mayor is one of the nation's most prominent advocates of getting rid of illegal guns.

Bloomberg has also testified several times on Capitol Hill on the issue. He also spearheaded an undercover sting in several states, including Virginia, to try to crackdown on the number of illegal guns being sold and brought to New York.

The coalition of mayors nationwide has 214 members, and they vow to keep the pressure on Congress. Twenty-seven mayors from New Jersey joined the coalition in an event planned months before the Virginia shooting.

Bloomberg also unveiled a new television and Internet ad campaign that calls to repeal a congressional appropriations amendment restricting police to trace guns. The ads are targeting key members in Congress supporting the measure.

On Monday, a South Koran student killed 32 people on Virginia Tech's campus before shooting himself.

The deadliest campus massacre in U.S. history has triggered new debate about gun control in the United States.

Source: Xinhua