CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada Democratic congressional candidate John Oceguera says he's renouncing his membership in the National Rifle Association in the wake of a mass shooting in Southern California.

Oceguera said he sent a letter to NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre on Thursday, saying he no longer wants to be associated with the group because it opposes legislation that would make it harder for terrorists, criminals and people with mental illness to get guns. He asked LaPierre to remove his name from the membership list.

The former speaker of the Nevada Assembly describes himself as a law-abiding gun owner and lifetime NRA member who grew up in a family of hunters.

Oceguera is in a four-way Democratic primary to challenge freshman Republican Rep. Cresent Hardy. The district leans Democratic.