Nevada's Governor Signs New Gun Law

Recently, governor Steve Sisolak of Nevada went around the Las Vegas area for bill-signing ceremonies. He made stops at several different places, each one themed after the laws passed by the Democratic state Legislature. These laws included health, immigration, crime and last but not least, a gun law which could mean great things for Nevada.

Following the tragic mass shooting which took place on the Las Vegas Strip in 2017, the governor of Nevada has campaigned to toughen gun laws. These things can unfortunately take time, but there’s been some progress. Sisolak signed a state level ban titled Assembly Bill 291 (Also known as the “1 October Bill, the day the shooting occurred) on the kind of “bump stock” device which was used by the shooter in 2017. This specific device is what allowed the shooter to achieve the rapid firing of a fully automatic weapon. 

The law does a few other things in addition to banning the bump stock, including lowering the legal blood alcohol level for carrying a firearm outside of a person’s residence from .10 to .08, as well as a “red flag” provision which allows police or a family member to obtain an order which would require a person to surrender any firearms if they appear to pose a danger to themselves or others. This will also allow the court to authorize law enforcement to take the firearm by force if the person will not surrender it. Several other criteria would have to be met in order for an order of that caliber to be issued as well.

Assembly Bill 291 is a great step towards decreasing gun crime and keeping our communities safe. Democratic Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui, a survivor of the shooting which killed 58 people and also the bill’s sponsor, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the new bill will prevent school shootings and the like, and presidential candidate Eric Swalwell of California seems to praise Nevada’s new gun laws but also feels that national action is needed. While he’s not wrong, Nevada’s move toward safer gun laws is a great step in the right direction and hopefully, more of the country will follow suit. In fact, fifteen other states already have similar laws in place.

While great strides have occurred in the state of Nevada recently, there’s still a long way to go before gun laws are at a point where the entire country will feel safe. Unfortunately, there are many who oppose these laws no matter where you go, and this makes it difficult to get them passed. While this may not completely eradicate the threat that firearms pose, it is at least a start.