Concealed-weapons bill approved by Senate

CARSON CITY - A bill letting people with concealed weapons permits carry guns into any public building that posts signs allowing them has won approval on a 19-2 Nevada Senate vote.

AB166, by Assemblyman Lynn Hettrick, initially allowed concealed weapons to be carried into public buildings unless there was a metal detector or a sign posted saying no firearms are allowed.

But Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus amended AB166 to change the wording of the signs. The bill now says guns are allowed only in public buildings that post signs permitting them.

Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, says the amendment would effectively kill the bill, because public buildings won't spend the money to put up the signs.

Nonetheless, AB166 now returns to the Assembly, where it was endorsed earlier, for concurrence in the Senate amendments.

Sens. Joe Neal and Maggie Carlton, both Las Vegas-area Democrats, voted against the measure Thursday.

Current law says concealed firearms are prohibited in courthouses, police stations, prisons, schools and state and federal buildings. It also prohibits juveniles from buying guns or carrying concealed weapons.

Earlier in the week, Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, added an amendment that mirrors his SB420, to extend concealed gun privileges to tourists who are licensed to carry in other states.

The Senate approved SB420, but it's now in the Assembly Judiciary Committee and facing a dim future because it hasn't been scheduled for a hearing.

Attaching his plan to AB166 may be the only chance the measure has, Washington said.

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