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NRA uses debate timing to use Snapchat

Posted at 6:50 PM, Dec 15, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-15 21:50:54-05
The National Rifle Association is turning to social media in the fight over gun control.
 
It debuted a new Snapchat filter Tuesday, hoping to raise awareness about a crucial initiative on the Nevada ballot next year.
 
"That's where a lot of young voters are right now, they're on social media, and we want to engage them," said Catherine Mortensen, an NRA spokesperson.
 
Snapchat is an app that allows users to send pictures and videos that delete themselves after ten seconds.
 
Nevadans had the option Tuesday to add a Nevada-specific graphic to anything they sent.
 
The filter said "Hey Bloomberg, Don't NYC my Nevada gun rights."
 
Michael Bloomberg is the former New York City mayor who supports stricter gun laws.
 
Nevada's 2016 ballot initiative is a key piece of that fight.
 
Voters will decide whether to require background checks on all gun sales in the state.
 
Sue Brooks of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America says it's the most important thing the group can accomplish all year.
 
"Currently about 40 percent of the gun sales do not have background checks," Brooks said. "You can go to a gun show or you can buy on the internet or a classified ad."
 
Mortensen says it also means people wouldn't be able to loan each other guns.
 
"If it were to pass and become law, it would criminalize the behavior of law-abiding gun owners in Nevada for exercising their second amendment rights," she said.
 
The Snapchat filter expires at 8 p.m. Tuesday.