Nevada’s McCann: Question 1 Won’t Do Anything, But Let’s Pass It Anyway

We’ve reported that Nevada’s Question 1, a ballot initiative aimed at expanding background checks, would only affect legal gun owners, while doing nothing to reduce violent crime. 

As it turns out, this isn’t just an opinion held by the measure’s detractors. During a news conference on Tuesday, one of the main proponents of Question 1 admitted—while discussing his support of the measure, no less—that it had no chance of eliminating illegal gun purchases: 

“I can go out on the street today and buy all sorts of things on the black market. …  I’m not suggesting this market will go away because of Question 1. This law simply says to people (trying to buy guns illegally) ‘We know you’re out there. We’re going to give you that one more hurdle to jump over,” Rick McCann, executive director of the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers, said. 

While it’s disturbing that he continues to back a measure he admits won’t work, the real question is this: If criminals are going to obtain their firearms from the black market regardless, who’s really going to be jumping over these new hurdles?