NEW YORK, NY December 01, 2008 —Giants receiver Plaxico Burress pleaded not guilty today to two charges of criminal possession of an unlicensed handgun, after accidentally shooting himself at a Manhattan nightclub.

Mayor Bloomberg had harsh words for Burress, for carrying an illegal handgun

BLOOMBERG: Our children are getting killed with guns in the streets, our police officers are getting killed by guns in the hands of criminals.

REPORTER: The mayor has made the fight against illegal weapons a signature issue. Burress wounded himself in the thigh three days ago. Police want to know why they weren't notified.

They're seeking information from Burress' teammate, Antonio Pierce, and New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where the football star was treated and released.

If convicted, he faces a minimum of 3 1/2 years in prison, under tougher state sanctions that went into effect in 2006.