USA Today
A monthslong investigation found that no state or federal laws were broken when a police sergeant sold a firearm and magazines to a 19-year-old mentally ill man in July.
The report, released Wednesday, said that neither former Reno Sgt. Laura Conklin nor the man, who was later identified as prohibited from legally owning a gun, violated the law. When first reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal, the case reignited debates across the country on whether the law should require background checks for private party sales.
The man had responded to an ad on armslist.com and met Conklin at a downtown Reno Starbucks at 4 a.m. on July 2. After learning about the gun, the young man's mother, Jill Schaller, became distraught and contacted officials because her son has Asperger's syndrome and is periodically suicidal.
Schaller demanded that he return the gun. After an emotional scene involving Washoe County Sheriff's deputies, Conklin bought the gun back.
Schaller filed a complaint, and the Reno Police Department's Internal Affairs division investigated whether Conklin violated any policies. Chief Steve Pitts also asked the Sparks Police Department to review the case for any possible charges. The investigation was completed this week and the report made public. "Through my investigation, I have found that according to state and federal law, Laura Conklin is not required to perform a background check on an individual wishing to obtain a firearm via private party transfer," Sparks Police Detective Tony Marconato said in his report.
