LAS VEGAS —The Nevada chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today urged Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and Attorney General Adam Laxalt to work with the FBI to implement the Question 1 ballot initiative, requiring background checks on all gun sales, that Nevada voters passed last November.
As reported this morning by the Nevada Independent, Sandoval and Laxalt have not yet enforced the background check law that was voted into law last November, despite guidance from attorneys for the background check initiative about how to do so. Before Monday’s mass shooting at the Mandalay Bay, attorneys for the background check initiative set a Oct. 9 deadline for implementation and said they were prepared to go to court if the ballot measure is not enforced.
Federal law requires licensed gun dealers to conduct criminal background checks on most gun sales, but a loophole exists allowing unlicensed sales, including sales online and at gun shows, to take place without background checks. Nevada’s background check initiative, which voters approved last November with a majority of votes, calls for the state to close the federal loophole and require background checks on all gun sales, with reasonable exceptions for family, hunting and self-defense. 18 other states have passed similar laws, reducing gun violence and saving lives.
STATEMENT FROM ELIZABETH BECKER, VOLUNTEER WITH THE NEVADA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“As we grieve and support each other in the wake of this horrific tragedy, we need to keep doing all we can to demand enforcement of this life-saving law. Last Election Day, Nevadans voted to do more to keep guns out of the hands of people with dangerous histories, and we expect our elected officials to respect that choice.”
STATEMENT FROM JOHN FEINBLATT, PRESIDENT OF EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY:
“Nevadans did their part at the ballot last November and voted to require background checks on all gun sales, and state officials have a constitutional obligation to uphold that decision. We elect our leaders to faithfully execute our laws, not obstruct them.”