Nebraska’s gambling regulator is defending its purchase of semi-automatic rifles for each of the agency’s 10 investigators, saying the weapons would be needed in the event of an active shooting at a racetrack or casino.
“If we had an active shooter event, we have a duty to intervene and to eliminate that threat,” said Steve Eppens, an investigator with the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, in defending the $30,351 purchase. “We’re in this profession to protect the public. That’s what we do.”
But the purchase of the fully outfitted, short-barreled rifles for officers whose primary task is enforcing state gambling regulations and laws raised eyebrows among some state lawmakers and some members of the board that oversees the commission.
After questions were raised, records show the commission tried to cancel the order two months after placing it. By then, it was too late.
