17 May 2023
Ahead of a press conference from advocates aimed at pressuring Gov. Joe Lombardo to sign a trio of Democrat-proposed gun control measures, the Republican governor vetoed the three bills.
Lombardo’s action marks the first veto of the session and arrives after he pledged on his campaign website to “veto any legislation” that would take away the “right to build a firearm for personal use.” At that time, Lombardo also said he “supports the right of all law-abiding citizens to own a firearm if they so choose.” Republican lawmakers — who voted en masse against the three proposals — have been unwilling to support such policies.
“I will not support legislation that infringes on the constitutional rights of Nevadans,” Lombardo said in a press release Wednesday. “As I stated in my letters, much of the legislation I vetoed today is in direct conflict with legal precedent and established constitutional protections. Therefore, I cannot support them.”
The first, SB171, sponsored by Sen. Dallas Harris (D-Las Vegas), would have prevented a gun purchase from anyone convicted of a hate crime in the last 10 years.
Separately, AB354, sponsored by Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui (D-Las Vegas), would have criminalized bringing a gun within 100 feet of an election site, while AB355, also sponsored by Jauregui, would have raised the legal age to purchase certain semi-automatic rifles and shotguns to 21, as well as aimed to close a legal loophole in the state’s 2021 attempt to ban so-called “ghost guns.”
In a texted statement to The Nevada Independent, Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui (D-Las Vegas) said she “desperately” wishes the governor would put the safety of Nevadans over partisan politics.
“After his time consoling the families of the 1 October massacre, I expected the governor to have the basic empathy to realize his responsibility to prevent future mass shootings and gun violence tragedies,” Jauregui said. “I never want a Nevadan to experience the trauma that I and so many have endured.”
She vowed to continue to work on gun violence prevention measures during her time as an elected official.
The three bills passed through the Legislature on party-line votes.
Legislative Democrats and gun safety advocates, including Moms Demand Action, still carried on with the press conference they had scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The post Lombardo vetoes three Democrat-backed gun control bills appeared first on The Nevada Independent.