Weapons Capable Of 'Blowing Away the Press'

By: (AP) In an aside that was caught on tape, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested during a news conference that police have weapons substantial enough "to blow away the press."

The remark was made Monday as the mayor and police officials outlined the city's security plans for July 4. Bloomberg and police Commissioner Ray Kelly were fielding questions about heavily armed police counter-terrorism teams that have been patrolling "key locations" for about a month.

Kelly demurred when a reporter asked for specifics on the weapons. After another reporter pressed the issue, asking if officers are more heavily armed than in the past, Bloomberg muttered: "Big enough to blow away the press," which was followed by quiet chuckles.

Kelly paused and answered the reporter, saying "these are weapons that have been in our inventory for awhile."

The public address system at the news conference did not pick up Bloomberg's comment, but it was discovered on tapes recorded by several reporters.

Bloomberg, while not as combative with the press as his predecessor, Rudolph Giuliani, is known to become irritated with reporters at times. He is also known for a dry wit that occasionally stirs controversy: He once quipped that city workers would be shot if they used emergency sirens and lights inappropriately.