Standing with State Rep. Dwight Evans, a former Democratic mayoral candidate who made guns the centerpiece of his primary campaign, Street said the suit also would take manufacturers to task for not providing safety locks on guns and for "misleading advertising as to the safety of guns in the home."

In addition, Street said that he would step up the city's Gun Bounty Program, which pays $50 for each gun handed in to the city, and that he would give away gun locks in the same way the city gives away smoke detectors to residents.

Around 4 p.m., as Street was announcing his plan at a City Hall news conference, his opponent, Republican Sam Katz, was sending a fax to reporters outlining his own positions on the issue. He would research a lawsuit, he said, but unlike Street, he did not commit to actually filing a suit.

Quoting almost verbatim from Evans' longstanding gun platform, Katz said he supported limiting gun purchases by an individual to one a month, and called for gun locks and the creation of "smart gun" technology, which would allow only the owner to fire his or her weapon. He added that he would prohibit the Police Department from selling its old guns, a practice that was abandoned earlier this year.

Street's vow to sue gun makers is a departure from Mayor Rendell's strategy to negotiate with them.

Rendell spokesman Kevin Feeley did not return calls for comment yesterday on whether any progress had been made in the mayor's negotiations with gun manufacturers. Rendell was one of the nation's first mayors to seriously research a lawsuit against gun manufacturers. Rather than sue them, as other cities have, Rendell said it was better to negotiate with the gun makers and lobby for tougher gun laws.

Street said that he doubted there would be enough time for Rendell to sue, but that he would take advantage of any legal research into the matter that the Rendell administration has done.

"I think we need to be very aggressive with all of this. Often, these cases get settled. You can't settle a case that never gets filed," Street said.

Street said he would direct the city solicitor to file the suit and would ask private lawyers to donate their help.

Noting that gunshot wounds are the leading cause of death among city residents between 16 and 21 years old and that 273 of the city's 340 homicides last year were committed with guns, Street said he also would ask the public schools to educate children on the dangers of guns and other weapons.

If Street or Katz sued the gun makers, Philadelphia would join 28 other cities, including Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco and Miami, said attorney Kenneth Trujillo, who is suing on behalf of Camden.

With yesterday's gun-violence announcement and a recent change in his advertising to talk about his opposition to school vouchers, Street is trying to focus the final six weeks of the campaign on issues that work for him.

Politics, however, will continue to nudge its way into the race.

Talking about ending gun violence with Evans yesterday helps Street rebound from last week's strategic coup by Republican Katz, who received the endorsement of former Democratic mayoral candidate John White Jr.

Like White, Evans appeals to middle-class blacks and liberal whites, two groups of voters who may not use filters like race and party label when they vote for mayor. They are the swing voters in this general election.

Also in a move that showed the Street campaign was trying to recover from the White endorsement, Street rehired his primary campaign spokesman, Ken Snyder, who begins work today. Snyder left shortly after the primary to serve as communications director for Washington, D.C., Mayor Tony Williams. He said yesterday that he was taking a leave of absence from that cabinet-level position with Williams' blessing.

"I left the [Street] campaign and the campaign never really left me," Snyder said yesterday. "I've made it clear that if I could help, I would. When the suggestion was made that I come, I brought it to Mayor Williams and he thought it was a good idea."

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