Want to go through a background check if you buy a gun from a relative or a friend? I sure don’t:
CARSON CITY, Nevada — Supporters of an initiative petition to expand background checks to nearly all gun sales in Nevada will soon begin gathering signatures after claiming a court victory.
Carson District Judge James Wilson on Friday struck down most of the arguments of the Nevada Firearms Coalition over the wording of the petition. The group opposes the petition.
Wilson ordered a minor wording change noting there would be criminal penalties for failure to obey the proposed new law, but rejected other wording changes sought by the firearms coalition.
The judge said the petition must mention that first-time offenders would face a gross misdemeanor and repeat offenders would face a felony.
Attorney Rue Goodenow, who represents the petition opponents, acknowledged at the start of the hearing the challenge was aimed only at the description of the petition’s effect, not the petition itself.
Supporters say the proposal, spurred by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval’s veto of similar legislation passed by the 2013 Legislature, would require background checks for private gun sales.
They say the proposal is intended to close a loophole in federal law that only requires licensed gun dealers to conduct background checks of potential buyers to make sure they are not legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
Backers say background checks have been proven to reduce crime and save lives by preventing convicted felons, domestic-abuse offenders and the seriously mentally ill from buying firearms.
If the group Nevadans for Background Checks gathers 101,667 signatures by Nov. 11, state lawmakers then would vote to approve or reject the petition in 2015. If rejected, the measure would go to Nevada voters in 2016.
Source: http://www.tribtown.com/view/story/afd1fafbd82e4d9ab406f26fff3c79ed/NV–Initiative-Petition-Gun-Background-Checks
I’m glad the petition will mention the penalties, because Nevadans must know this law creates a whole new category of criminals.
How can you reduce crime by turning a previously legal activity into a crime? When the drinking age was raised from 18 to 21, did the “underage” stopped drinking? No, they got their older brothers or friends to buy beers for them. When I was a smoker, I remember a teenager asking me to buy cigarettes for him.
By the way, how come anti-gunners aren’t going after the “black powder loophole.” When I lived in Dallas, I bought a Colt Navy Revolver like this one at Cabela’s
No background check, no ID, no nothing. Why? Because it’s not a firearm under the gun control act of 1968. If gun control stops crime, then why aren’t criminals shooting each other with black powder revolvers? Surely it’s a lot easier to pay $200 for this than $500 or $1000 for a black market firearm?
Anyone who watches Breaking Bad knows criminals have their own networks. Asking the law-abiding for background checks is like asking the corner crack dealer to collect a tax on his transactions. But Nevadans for Background Checks doesn’t care about that, they’re just interested in gun-owner harassment, I hope they fail.
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Already in contact with my NV legislators over the out of staters pushing this BS. Not sure how the “4 zones” of the state are mapped out that are required to get the 100k+ signatures. They could do that alone in Vegas but I don’t think that weighs in to the equation. Basically boils down to 25k+ from each zone so we’ll see how it plays out.
That’s great to hear. Nevada has a reputation for being one of the most libertarian states in the nation with guns, gambling, and legal prostitution in certain areas. It would be a shame if they started following California’s model. Do you live in Las Vegas? I read somewhere about people in Las Vegas resenting the rest of the State for contributing most o their tax revenues.