Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020 | 2 a.m.
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There are two words at the beginning of the Second Amendment that radical gun groups seem to forget: “well regulated.” These two words are a mandate to the federal and state government that the safety, security and well-being of our fellow Americans require the adoption of laws and regulations to stop terrorists, foreign or domestic, from being able to intimidate or murder their fellow humans.
In 2019, I was proud to do my part by sponsoring and passing the most comprehensive gun safety measure in Nevada’s history, Assembly Bill 291. Together, we banned bump stocks like those used at the Oct. 1 mass shooting; created stricter limits on the legal blood alcohol level for carrying a firearm outside a person’s residence; and allowed family members to seek a court order to remove firearms when someone posed a danger to themselves or others. Unfortunately, we’ve all seen that more still needs to be done.
We saw it April 18 in Las Vegas when people carrying assault rifles at the Grant Sawyer building attempted to intimidate state employees. (Three individuals at that protest were later arrested for domestic terrorism charges after plotting to shoot and blow up Black Lives Matter protests.)
We saw it May 2 in Carson Citywhen people in battle gear and tactical weapons infiltrated peaceful protests to try to intimidate state government employees and the governor — even rushing the gates of the governor’s mansion at one point.
And we saw it June 1 when a man casually walked down the Strip with his gun and shot Metro Officer Shay Mikalonis.
Unfortunately, when community members came together to enact policies addressing these egregious acts, they were prohibited by state law from enacting local, commonsense gun safety measures to meet the needs of their jurisdiction — whether it contains the Strip or the state government buildings, or even military bases.
In 2021, during the next legislative session, I plan to introduce a measure to give local governments this freedom so they can better match their laws to the needs of their community to preserve and protect the safety, security and well-being of their residents. I look forward to working with my fellow Nevadans, legislators and the governor on what more we can do to ensure Nevada’s laws protect our residents and not those who wish to use firearms to commit murder and mayhem.
Sandra Jauregui is a member of the Nevada Assembly. She represents District 41, which covers parts of the southern Las Vegas Valley.
