Nevada may be the next state to ask voters whether they want to legalize marijuana and extend background checks for all gun buyers, including people who purchase firearms over the Internet and at gun shows, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal. On Wednesday, backers of two separate initiatives on marijuana and guns submitted more than enough signatures to qualify for the 2016 ballot. Nevadans for Background Checks collected about 250,000 signatures, according to a spokeswoman, more than double the number needed to qualify an initiative for the ballot.
A marijuana advocacy group turned in nearly 200,000 signatures. Last week, Washington voters approved a ballot initiative to expand gun background checks. Advocates say that vote will give momentum to the issue in Nevada and other states. Washington will join California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., in requiring universal background checks for all sales and transfers of firearms.