Late yesterday, the Judiciary Committee announced yet another change to Monday's agenda for their gun control hearing, this time limiting the amount of time for consideration on AB 291, the omnibus gun control bill, and a time change for AB 153, to impose one-size-fits-all standards for firearm storage. This sudden change seems to signal an alarming trend where legislation impacting our Second Amendment rights gets rushed through a single joint committee hearing instead of separate hearings in each chamber like other legislation. Unlike with Assembly Bill 143, the committee agenda for this hearing gives the impression that the time for testimony will be limited. This could only be taken as an effort to silence growing opposition to this draconian measure and to treat the hearing as a mere formality to rubber stamp legislation that is to be considered a foregone conclusion. Given that this is a joint committee hearing, it will likely be the only chance for the public to participate in a public hearing on this measure.
It is important that gun owners and Second Amendment supporters oppose such efforts to silence them by showing up in order to be seen and heard. Additionally, the hearing on AB 153, a one size fits all mandatory storage bill will now be heard at 6PM. Please click the “Take Action” button or call the phone numbers below to contact members of the committee and urge them to OPPOSE AB 291 and AB 153.
Meeting: Monday, April 1, 2019 8:00 AM
Joint Meeting of the Assembly Committee on Judiciary and Senate Committee on Judiciary
Location(s): Room 4100 of the Legislative Building, 401 S. Carson St., Carson City, NV.
Videoconferenced to Room 4401 of the Grant Sawyer State Office Building, 555 E. Washington Ave., Las Vegas, NV.
Videoconferenced to McMullen Hall, Great Basin College, 1500 College Parkway, Elko, NV
Additional Information: The hearing for A.B. 291 will start at 8AM and will end when the Assembly and Senate go to Floor Session. The hearing for A.B. 153 will start at 6PM when the joint committee will reconvene.
Assembly Judiciary Committee
Chair: Steve Yeager (D-9), (775) 684-8549
Vice Chair: Lesley Cohen (D-29), (775) 684-8855
Shea Backus (D-37), (775) 684-8505
Skip Daly (D-31), (775) 684-8563
Ozzie Fumo (D-21), (775) 684-8839
Brittney Miller (D-5), (775) 684-8833
Rochelle Nguyen (D-10), (775) 684-8541
Sarah Peters (D-24), (775) 684-8559
Selena Torres (D-3), (775) 684-8599
Howard Watts (D-15), (775) 684-8835
Chris Edwards (R-19), (775) 684-8857
Alexis Hansen (R-32), (775) 684-8851
Lisa Krasner (R-26), (775) 684-8848
Tom Roberts (R-13), (775) 684-8853
Jill Tolles (R-25), (775) 684-8837
Senate Judiciary Committee
Chair: Nicole Cannizzaro (D-6), (775) 684-1475
Vice Chair: Dallas Harris (D-11), (775) 684-6502
James Ohrenschall (D-21), (775) 684-6503
Marilyn Dondero Loop (D-8), (775) 684-1445
Melanie Scheible (D-9), (775) 684-1421
Scott Hammond (R-18), (775) 684-1442
Ira Hansen (R-14), (775) 684-1480
Keith Pickard (R-20), (775) 684-1481
Assembly Bill 291: Introduced by Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui (D-41), this omnibus anti-gun legislation is a threat to both law-abiding gun owners residing in Nevada and those who are visiting. Most notably, AB 291:
- Repeals Firearms Preemption Laws: State preemption prevents local governments from enacting their own gun control ordinances and creating a confusing patchwork of laws. Without preemption, a person could face various laws and regulations when traveling throughout the State.
- Criminalizes Firearm Modifications: This legislation has language even more broad and overreaching than existing federal regulations and could potentially criminalize firearm modifications such as competition triggers or ergonomic changes that are commonly done by law-abiding gun owners to make their firearms more suitable for self-defense, competition, hunting, or even overcoming disability. Any violation would be punishable as a category D felony.
- Expands the ability for localities to create “gun-free zones:” These arbitrary boundaries only disarm law-abiding citizens and leave them defenseless against the criminals who ignore such restrictions.
Assembly Bill 153, introduced by Assembly Member Ozzie Fumo (D-21), would expand Nevada's current law regulating firearm storage by imposing a one-size-fits-all government standard that could make firearms unavailable for self-defense.
Again, please click the “Take Action” button and call the phone numbers above to urge committee members to OPPOSE AB 291 and AB 153.
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