The Bill Passes a Day After a Mass Shooting in Virginia Beach Killed 12 People and Wounded Four More
Earlier this Week, Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui Introduced Amendments to the Bill that Would Establish an Extreme Risk Law and Require Responsible Storage of Firearms to Prevent Access by Children
The Senate Passed the Bill With These Amendments on Friday
CARSON CITY, Nev. – The Nevada chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today applauded the Nevada Assembly for passing AB291, as amended by the Nevada Senate earlier this week. Assemblywoman Jauregui introduced amendments to AB291 that would establish an Extreme Risk law and require responsible storage of firearms in order to prevent unauthorized access by children. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill with these additions earlier this week and the full Senate passed the bill on Friday. Today, the Nevada Assembly passed AB291, which now heads to Gov. Sisolak’s desk for his signature.
AB291 already included a prohibition on the possession of bump stocks and other devices which can be used to effectively convert semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic guns. In October 2017, Nevada experienced the deadliest mass shooting in modern history when a gunman opened fire on a concert in Las Vegas and in a matter of minutes, killed 58 people and injured over 400. The gunman used firearm accessories known as bump stocks to increase the carnage he could unleash.
“Nevadans know all too well the pain felt by those in Virginia Beach this weekend,” said Elizabeth Becker, a volunteer with the Nevada chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Shootings like these are not inevitable — they’re the tragic result of public policy failures. We’re so grateful that our lawmakers in Nevada are doing their part to prevent future tragedies. This legislation will make our state a safer place to live and visit.”
Assemblywoman Jauregui introduced the following additional proposals, which were included in AB291, and passed by Nevada Senate yesterday and the Nevada Assembly today.
Strong Extreme Risk legislation, which would empower family members and law enforcement to intervene when a person shows signs they could be a serious risk to themselves or others. This policy empowers family members and law enforcement to get a court order to temporarily prevent a person from accessing guns. When someone is in a state of crisis, or threatening violence against themselves or other people, access to a firearm can mean the difference between life and death. This type of legislation gained traction in the wake of the Parkland shooting, where 14 students and three staff members were shot and killed. Now, 15 states have Extreme Risk laws. More information about how Extreme Risk laws can help prevent mass shootings and suicides is available here.
Legislation requiring people to store firearms responsibly to prevent unsupervised access to firearms by children. The majority of school shootings occur after a student has accessed unsecured guns from a parent or family member’s home. This suggests that responsible storage laws, and awareness and implementation in homes, can be an effective tool in addressing the source of guns used in school gun violence.
