Deputies, guards back gun checks

An organization of police, prison guards, and other law enforcement officers have endorsed a ballot measure requiring criminal background checks for private gun sales, except in the cases of transfers among family members or temporary loans of weapons for hunting or self defense.

“The bottom line is criminals must be prevented from acquiring guns in simple, ‘no questions asked’ transactions,” said Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers Executive Director Richard McCann in a prepared statement. “While not an absolute answer to this crisis, this initiative is a further step that must be taken to counter gun violence in this state and in our nation.”

The initiative is one of a dozen state initiative petitions funded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It qualified for the Nevada ballot with 242 percent of the needed 102,000 signatures.