A nosy mayor was told by a judge that he can’t testify in a trial against Georgia gun shops.

The mayor, Michael Bloomberg, was supposed to be a main witness in a law suit against gun dealers, but Judge Jack Weinstein opposed, saying that this was just a publicity stunt and that the mayor’s place would be taken by a police officer.

“I am not going to permit the case to turn into a media show for either side. I see no reason to have the mayor her,” said Weinstein, according to Newsday. The judge also said that the presence of the mayor was not relevant to the city’s point of view.

City lawyers were counting on Bloomberg to testify on the impact that illegal guns have on the city.

City corporation counsel Michael Cardozo said that the city doesn’t agree with the judge’s decision, but they hope that their other witnesses will convince the judge of the city’s point of view.

The law suit is about two dozen out-of-state gun shops which have been sued in 2006 by the city, because they were selling weapons to people who, afterwards, went to sell the guns to criminals.

The defendants have agreed to be more careful and to track gun sales, but Georgia continued with the lawsuit.

The defendant is Adventure Sports of Smyrna and the trial was scheduled on June 2.