Nevada governor hits back against Jerry Brown’s gun control comments

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval on Sunday joined the governor of Arizona in hitting back California Gov. Jerry Brown’s comments that their states’ lenient gun laws are a “gigantic back door through which any terrorist can walk.”

Brown, asked in Paris on Saturday if stricter gun control laws were warranted following the mass shooting in San Bernardino, said, “California has some of the toughest gun control laws of any state. And Nevada and Arizona are wide open, so that’s a gigantic back door through which any terrorist can walk.”

Sandoval spokeswoman Mari St. Martin said in a prepared statement Sunday that Brown’s remarks were “wrong and irresponsible.”

“This type of political rhetoric is discouraging to hear at a time when all Americans are looking for thoughtful, honest leadership,” she said.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey had previously called on Brown to “retract his incredibly thoughtless and ill-advised comments.”

The rampage at a social services center last week left 14 people dead. Authorities have said guns used in the attack were purchased legally in California before being modified.

This story was originally published December 6, 2015 at 10:41 PM.