FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17, 2023
Contact: Amber Falgout, afalgout@battlebornprogress.
Governor Lombardo Vetoes Critical Safety Measures
Vetoes on SB171, AB354, and AB355 are a slap in the face of public safety
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Carson City, NV – On Wednesday, May 17th, 2023, after Governor Lombardo vetoed critical safety measures to protect Nevadans, Assembly Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui and Senator Dallas Harris were joined by gun violence prevention advocates to express their disgust for Lombardo’s actions.
Assembly Bill 354 (AB354): sought to protect Nevadans by cracking down on dangerous ghost gun loopholes and protect our election workers and Nevadans’ right to vote by prohibiting guns in polling places.
Assembly Bill 355 (AB355): sought to make Nevadans safer by prohibiting anyone under 21 years old from owning an assault weapon with exceptions for members of the armed forces and law enforcement.
Senate Bill 171 (SB171): sought to prohibit anyone convicted of a hate crime from owning, purchasing, or possessing a firearm for 10 years.
Assembly Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui issued the following statement:
“I desperately wish 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. Too many Nevadans have lost their lives to gun violence and even more have been left as survivors, wondering when it will happen again. I never want a Nevadan to experience the trauma that I and so many have endured. I will continue to work on gun violence prevention measures during my time as an elected official.”
“Today, Governor Lombardo sided with the national gun lobby over the public safety of Nevadans,” said Senator Dallas Harris. “Nevadans overwhelmingly support improving community safety with common sense gun violence prevention measures. At a time when hate crimes are on the rise and communities are increasingly targeted because of race, ethnicity, religion, and other immutable parts of their identities, we should be doing more to protect our citizens. Instead, the Governor has turned his back on Nevadans facing this epidemic of gun violence.”
“It’s shameful to see our Governor prioritize the gun lobby over public safety,” said Melissa Olsen, a volunteer with the Nevada chapter of Moms Demand Action. “These measures were an opportunity to send a message to those filled with hatred that their ideas won’t be armed in Nevada and protect our families and children from the threat of gun violence. We won’t back down from this fight and we will continue to work with our gun sense champions in the Legislature until we eradicate gun violence in Nevada.”
Christiane Brown with the Brady Campaign issued the following statement:
“Gun violence is preventable, and today, Governor Lombardo had the choice to either halt progress towards crushing this epidemic once and for all or enable it to continue to degrade our communities. He chose to do the latter. This package of bills would have stopped armed intimidation at polling places, shut down ghost gun sales, and raised the minimum age to possess an assault weapon. Nevadans are sick and tired of seeing children and families slain by weapons of war in our communities. These laws have worked in other states and have proven to stop gun violence before it could steal more precious lives.”
Annette Magnus, Executive Director of Battle Born Progress issued the following statement:
“Shame on Governor Lombardo for vetoing bills that would protect Nevadans. He failed to protect the people of Clark County as sheriff and now he’s failing to protect Nevadans as governor. He doesn’t care for our safety – he cares about keeping the extremist gun lobby and wing of his party happy.
That’s what these vetoes are about, plain and simple. Governor Lombardo can try and play Olympic-level mental gymnastics to explain away his actions but we see right through his games. He had an opportunity to stand with the safety of Nevadans or stand with extremists and do nothing while the epidemic of guns rages. With these vetoes, he made it very clear that he does not care about Nevadans’ safety. We are honored to have worked with Assembly Majority Floor Leader Jauregui and Sentar Harris on these important gun safety measures and we will not stop advocating for public safety measures to address gun violence in our communities.”
Agustin Cabrera, GIFFORDS State Legislative Manager issued the following statement:
“Governor Lombardo turned his back on Nevadans and put lives at risk. The bills he just vetoed were commonsense responses to the plague of gun violence and would have without a doubt protected Nevadan communities. The Governor’s decision to veto highlights the urgent need for leaders who will have the courage to enact comprehensive gun safety legislation. We thank bill sponsors Senator Dallas Harris and Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui for their tireless work and support and express our deepest gratitude to our state partners for their advocacy and leadership.”
