Nevada Moms, Everytown Condemn Assembly Passage of Extreme Gun Bill That Would Jeopardize Nevada Public Safety and Waste Taxpayer Dollars

CARSON CITY, Nev. – Everytown for Gun Safety and the Nevada chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America today condemned the Assembly’s passage of Senate Bill 175, an unprecedented and dangerous gun bill that would allow out-of-state and special interest groups to sue local officials for attempting to enforce local gun laws.

If Governor Sandoval signs SB 175 into law, Nevada would become the first state in the country to entitle out-of-state and special interest groups to collect up to three times their actual damages by suing cities for enforcing local gun laws.

STATEMENT FROM ERIN GRINSHTEYN, A VOLUNTEER LEADER FOR THE NEVADA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION:

“If SB 175 becomes law, it would sacrifice the public safety of Nevada communities in order to provide a taxpayer-funded handout to out-of-state gun lobby groups. This bill would put our communities and families at risk by punishing local officials for working to protect the citizens they serve from gun violence—all while lining the pockets of special interest groups and forcing taxpayers to foot the bill. No other state has passed a law that entitles these special interest groups to such an extreme payout—three times their actual damages—so why are our elected leaders willing to take a gamble on our safety? Moms across the state urge Governor Sandoval to stand up for the safety of Nevadans everywhere by vetoing this dangerous bill.”

SB 175’s passage comes on the heels of the Assembly’s passage of an amended version of Senate Bill 240 on Thursday night. SB 240 now includes the same punitive measure in SB 175 that would enable out-of-state and special interest groups to sue cities for enforcing local gun laws, and it would award double, or even triple damages to gun-lobby groups if a court were to issue a final ruling striking down the targeted ordinance.

The Assembly’s changes to SB 240 significantly undermine potentially life-saving provisions in the underlying bill that would help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, the severely mentally ill, and other dangerous people. SB 240 now heads to the Senate, where Senators will vote on whether to accept the Assembly’s changes.