06 Jan STATEMENT Regarding President Obama’s Executive Action on Gun Violence
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Contacts: Annette Magnus, annette@battlebornprogress.org
Maria-Teresa Liebermann, mariateresa@
STATEMENT Regarding President Obama’s Executive Action on Gun Violence
Now it’s time for further action in Congress and in Nevada
LAS VEGAS – Today, President Obama announced his executive action to reduce gun violence. Annette Magnus, Executive Director of Battle Born Progress, has released the following statement:
President Obama’s executive action is a major step to curb gun violence in America. His actions will help keep guns out of the wrong hands and save lives.
Now that the President is taking action, it’s time for Congress and state and local officials to do their part and take action themselves on behalf of the vast majority of Americans who support common-sense measures to prevent gun violence.
We know that today’s action by President Obama is critical because it will help enforce existing federal law that requires people who sell guns as a business to get licensed and run background checks. But there remains a loophole in the law that allows criminals, abusers and the dangerously mentally ill to easily access to guns with no background check and no questions asked through gun shows, private sales and internet transactions.
We are thankful the President took a major step today and now it is time for Nevada voters and our elected officials to step up and take the next step.
In November of 2016, Nevada voters will have the opportunity to close this loophole with the Nevada Background Check Initiative. Nevada voters can help us join the 18 states that require background checks on all handgun sales. In these states, 48 percent fewer police officers are killed with handguns and 46 percent fewer women are shot to death by intimate partners. We know that voters in Nevada overwhelmingly support background checks on gun sales.
About Battle Born Progress: BBP, through strategic communication efforts, empowers, engages and mobilizes Nevada voters to build a state where everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed.
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