ProgressNow Nevada Announces Gun Violence Prevention Summit
Center for American Progress Action Fund releases new poll at summit that shows gun background checks almost as popular as pizza among Nevada voters
Las Vegas, NV — On Saturday, January 25, leaders of ProgressNow Nevada and the Center for American Progress Action Fund will convene 100 local advocates and concerned citizens to plan how to strategize, organize, and communicate to make the universal background checks effort a success in 2014.
The summit is part of a series of similar events by the Center for American Progress Action Fund aimed at empowering leaders at the state and regional levels to take action even as federal efforts to strengthen and reform firearm safety remain mired in congressional gridlock. Last year, a background check bill passed through both houses of the Nevada legislature, only to be vetoed by Gov. Brian Sandoval.
“We are excited to be hosting a Nevada gun violence prevention summit and kicking off an in-depth conversation about gun violence prevention in the state,” said Annette Magnus, Executive Director of ProgressNow Nevada. “Our state must continue having this conversation to bring Nevadans together and create more effective gun laws.”
In conjunction with the summit, the Center for American Progress Action Fund commissioned and released a new poll of Nevada voters conducted by Public Policy Polling between January 20-21, 2014.
The new poll of 688 Nevada voters shows, among other things, that:
- Nevadans overwhelmingly support gun background checks: 78 percent of respondents support requiring criminal background checks on all gun buyers. That makes universal background checks almost as popular as pizza in Nevada (80 percent of Nevada voters reported liking pizza).
- Additionally, the poll showed that Nevadans are likely to support politicians who support stronger gun background checks. When asked about how Sen. Dean Heller’s 2013 vote against expanded background checks might impact their vote in 2018, twice as many Nevada voters—43 percent—said Sen. Heller’s opposition to expanded background checks would make them less likely vote for him in 2018, compared to only 20 percent of Nevadans who said they were more likely to support Sen. Heller because of that vote.
- Gun owners in Nevada overwhelmingly support stronger laws: 73 percent of Nevada gun owners support universal background checks and 72 percent agree with the proposition that “We can both protect responsible gun owners’ Second Amendment rights and still make it more difficult for criminals and other dangerous people to obtain guns.”
“A Center for American Progress report published last year showed Nevada ranked among the top 10 states in overall gun deaths, for gun murders of women, and as a source of illegally trafficked guns,” said Allison Zelman, Gun Policy Campaign Manager at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. “Those are Top 10 lists that no state deserves to be on. That’s why we are excited to be here in Nevada to continue working with local advocates in fighting for stronger laws to reduce gun violence and save lives.”
The January 25 summit will feature spokespeople and experts in legislative and political strategy, media and message training, community organizing, and other topics. A panel of community leaders will commence activities. Other groups participating in the summit include Americans for Responsible Solutions, Organizing for Action, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Moms Demand Action, Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
PRESS IS INVITED TO ATTEND THE SUMMIT FROM 10:00 a.m. -10:40 a.m. PST. If you’d like to attend, please contact Jocelyn Torres at 702.767.2089.
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