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Nebraskans Against Gun Violence

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Nebraskans Against Gun Violence
Established2014
47-5236959 (EIN)
Key people
Amanda Gailey, Melody Vaccaro
Websitenebraskansagainstgunviolence.com

Nebraskans Against Gun Violence (NAGV) is a political advocacy organization headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska with a mission "to support evidence based firearm policy."[1] It advocates for safe storage of firearms and policies intended to make firearms inaccessible to children.[2][3]

Founded in 2014, NAGV was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2015.[4]

Activity

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NAGV views gun violence as a public health crisis and supports the funding of research, community programming, education, and policy to reduce gun violence.[5] Group members advocate with legislators, write Op-eds, organize events, and appear as speakers at vigils memorializing victims of school shootings, asking for rules to prevent kids from bringing guns to schools.[6][7] NAGV opposed a 2022 proposal to legalize carrying of a concealed handgun without a permit,[5] and opposed a 2021 proposal by governor Pete Ricketts to make Nebraska a pro-gun "sanctuary state."[8]

NAGV representatives were invited to meet with US presidents Barack Obama in 2016[9] and Joe Biden in 2022[2] as a part of their administrations' gun control policy efforts. The group is critical of the National Rifle Association of America's political influence.[10]

NAGV opposed a plan in which the Omaha Police Department agreed to trade expired ballistic helmets and bulletproof gear to a local business called 88 Tactical, in exchange for rifle magazines. The number 88 is used by white supremacists to stand for Heil Hitler. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, NAGV executive director Melody Vaccaro believes this racist allusion and other white nationalist symbols are used by 88 Tactical intentionally.[11] The proposed trade was removed from the Omaha City Council agenda following NAGV's objections.[12]

Omaha police and 16 other Nebraska police departments did not submit reports on domestic violence, as required by law, from 2014 through 2019. NAGV discovered the missing reports when compiling statewide statistics involving firearms.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Homepage". Nebraskans Against Gun Violence.
  2. ^ a b Branting, Adam (July 17, 2022). "Papillion resident attends White House signing ceremony for gun legislation". Papillion Times. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022.(subscription required)
  3. ^ Skonieski, Alexa (May 23, 2022). "People across gun debate agree: Storage is key to preventing shootings". KLKN-TV. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022.
  4. ^ "Coalition of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence, Inc". Nebraska Secretary of State. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022.
  5. ^ a b James, Karla (January 5, 2022). "Nebraskans Against Gun Violence Opposes Proposed Conceal Carry Changes". KLIN. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022.
  6. ^ Bordalejo, Barbara (2019). "Walking Alone Online: Intersectional Violence on the Internet". Intersectionality in Digital Humanities. Amsterdam University Press: 59–72. doi:10.1017/9781641890519.006. ISBN 9781641890519. S2CID 242986123.
  7. ^ Thompson, Jenna (May 27, 2022). "Lincoln High students hold anti-gun violence vigil". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Ozaki, Andrew (April 14, 2021). "Gov Ricketts makes state pro-gun sanctuary". KETV 7. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021.
  9. ^ Gayman, Deann. "Gailey to attend town hall, meet Obama". Nebraska Today.
  10. ^ Teague, Alexandra; Clements, Brian; Rader, Dean, eds. (2017). Bullets Into Bells: Poets & Citizens Respond to Gun Violence. Beacon Press. p. 96. ISBN 9780807025581. OCLC 1003131964.
  11. ^ "Emails Show Omaha Police Planned Deal With Far Right-linked Gun Shop". Southern Poverty Law Center. August 22, 2022. Archived from the original on August 22, 2022.
  12. ^ Hammel, Paul (July 18, 2022). "Controversial swap of police gear pulled from Omaha City Council agenda amid complaint". Nebraska Examiner. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022.
  13. ^ Conley, Alia (Apr 20, 2021). "Omaha police and other agencies didn't report domestic abuse numbers to Crime Commission". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021.
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