Question 1 would make Nevada safer, including for veterans

BY Steven Horner, Las Vegas

Thursday, May 26, 2016 | 9:43 a.m.

In November, we can make Nevada a safe place to live, and as a veteran I am pleased to help make our state safer by supporting Question 1.

Veterans know the value of weapons and also the devastating damage a weapon can do in the hands of the wrong person. Because of background checks over the past three years, 5,379 felons, domestic abusers and other people who are prohibited from purchasing firearms have been stopped from obtaining weapons. We know that background checks work. By expanding those checks to include private and online sales, we can prevent even more.

We also know that in states that have expanded those background checks, suicide using guns has decreased by 47 percent. Saving lives is important, and Question 1 will help do that.

This is not a question of the Second Amendment; it is a question of common sense to help make sure the residents of Nevada are safer.

One person saved from a violent domestic partner, one walking away because a felon was denied access to a firearm or a veteran getting the help they need instead of committing suicide by a gun — that is what Question 1 is about. Please help make our great state safer. That is why I, a veteran, support Question 1 in November.