Nevada Governor Loudly VETOED State Democrat’s Trio Of Gun Control Bills

CARSON CITY, Nevada -(Ammoland.com)- Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) has vetoed a trio of gun control bills, keeping his promise to the State’s gun-owning voters.

In the run-up to the election for the governorship of Nevada, Gov. Lombardo promised to “veto any legislation” that would infringe on Nevada residents’ rights to build firearms.” He also said he “supports the right of all law-abiding citizens to own a firearm if they so choose.”

Despite the Nevada Governor’s pledge to head off any anti-gun legislation, Democrats in the State’s legislature passed a series of gun control bills and hoped that the Republican Governor would succumb to pressure from anti-gun advocates.

“I will not support legislation that infringes on the constitutional rights of Nevadans,” Lombardo said in a press release after vetoing the three Democrat-introduced anti-gun bills. “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 veto of the legislation came just hours before a scheduled press conference by anti-gun groups to pressure the Governor to sign the three anti-gun bills. The press conference was all for not, and anti-gun advocates were dismayed by Gov. Lombardo’s resistance to their pressure. This resistance is something that the anti-gun groups have been able to overcome and the past and present in places like Texas and Tennessee.

Today, I vetoed SB 171, AB 354, and AB 355.

I will not support legislation that infringes on the constitutional rights of Nevadans. pic.twitter.com/acoJ8NVI7r

— Governor Joe Lombardo (@JosephMLombardo) May 17, 2023

The first bill that the Governor vetoed would have banned anyone convicted of a hate crime in the past ten years from purchasing a firearm. The severity of the crime wouldn’t matter. A felony and a misdemeanor would have been treated the same. An enhanced hate crime charge for property damage would strip a person of their Constitutionally protected gun rights. The bill, SB171, was sponsored by Sen. Dallas Harris (D-Las Vegas).

The second bill that Gov. Lombardo vetoed would have criminalized bringing a firearm within 100 feet of a polling place. This bill could have led to problems with polling places with shared parking lots. A gun owner could inadvertently break the law by visiting a business that shares a parking lot with a polling place. The bill, AB354, was sponsored by Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui (D-Las Vegas).

AB355 wasn’t the only bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Jauregui that the Republican Governor vetoed.

After learning about another shooting yesterday involving an 18 yo w/an assault weapon, Governor Lombardo has vetoed my 2 bills that would raise the age to buy an assault weapon from 18-21, ban ghost guns, & ban guns at election sites. Today he put the gun lobby over Nevadans. https://t.co/yu7siuaegB

— Sandra Jauregui (@sandra4nv) May 17, 2023

Gov. Lombardo also vetoed AB355, which would have raised the age to purchase certain types of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns to 21. It would also a so-called “close a legal loophole” in a 2021 law that attempted to ban the sale and transfer of unfinished frames and receivers. While Democrats see 80% of Firearms as “ghost guns,” most Republicans see the kits in line with the American tradition of privately manufacturing firearms.

Democrats vowed to continue to push for gun control in Nevada, but there is little support from Republicans. None of the three gun control bills that made it to the Governor’s desk received any votes from Republican members of the State’s legislature. There are few signs that any Republicans would cross the aisle to support the Democrat’s anti-gun plans.

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo’s Veto Letter Against Gun Control Bills, 2023

About John Crump

John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.