Ryan Tarinelli / AP
In this Feb. 4, 2019, file photo, assembly members gather before the Nevada State Assembly in Carson City.
Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020 | 2 a.m.
The Nevada Legislature will likely consider overturning a law that prohibits local governments from establishing stricter gun control measures than the state.
When lawmakers convene in early 2021, Democratic Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui of Las Vegas will introduce legislation to do away with the measure, she wrote last month in a column for the Sun.
Lawmakers in the 2019 legislative session, the initial meeting following the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting on the Strip at a music festival, passed a series of gun reform bills. Much of this effort was led by Jauregui, who was one of the 22,000 concertgoers.
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Lawmakers expanded background checks to close the so-called gun show loophole, which allowed private gun sales without the background checks required by licensed gun dealers. They also passed the so-called “red flag law,” which allows people to petition the courts to temporarily confiscate guns from a family member who could be considered dangerous. They additionally banned bump stocks and established rules to regulate gun storage.
But the language to put more power to regulate firearms in the hands of local governments was removed.
Jauregui wrote that the legislation would let local governments “better match their laws to the needs of their community to preserve and protect the safety, security and well-being of their residents.”
Some form of state preemption of firearms laws is in place in 45 states, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. A statement from the Giffords Law Center said that the group was “looking forward to working with lawmakers to continue the tremendous progress made last session.”
“There is still work to be done to protect Nevada families from gun violence, and Giffords is ready to join Nevada leaders to fight for life-saving laws,” the statement read. “We will be working with our partners in the state to advance policies that will protect Nevadans from the deadly nexus of hate and guns and help reduce gun trafficking across the state.”
Annette Magnus, the executive director of Battle Born Progress, a progressive nonprofit, strongly backs removing the current preemption status.
“The only true way to address Oct. 1 is through preemption and allowing municipalities, specifically the county, to implement gun laws as they see fit as long as they’re at a higher threshold than the state,” Magnus said.
Battle Born Progress is also advocating for legislation that prohibits someone convicted of a hate crime from owning a firearm, Magnus said.
“Once somebody is convicted of something like that, they have a higher likelihood of committing hate crimes with guns after that,” Magnus said.
