May 21, 2019

Action Alert:
Put Pre-Emption Repeal Back on Agenda in Nevada Senate


On April 23, 2019, the Nevada Assembly voted 28-13 to approve AB 291,  a gun control bill introduced by Route 91 Harvest festival shooting survivor and Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui. AB 291 would ban bump stocks; lower the legal blood alcohol content for gun carriers in Nevada (so it’s in line with the state’s drunk driving limits); and restore the ability of local governments to pass their own gun laws, overturning an NRA-drafted “pre-emption” law enacted in 2015.

Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui (left), a survivor of the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting, gave emotional testimony for AB 291.

Democrats have total control of government in Nevada—Governor, Assembly and Senate. But after AB 291 passed the Assembly, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Everytown for Gun Safety forged a backroom deal on gun control without Assemblywoman Jauregui. The deal calls for the pre-emption repeal language to be removed from AB 291 and replaced with a “Red Flag” policy. Jauregui issued the following statement:

At the request of Everytown and other organizations I have decided to remove the pre-emption language from AB 291. This is too important of an issue for me to risk moving forward without the support of a broad coalition. I am looking at other fixes to improve gun safety in our communities such as extreme risk legislation.

It’s unclear who those “other organizations” are. The primary opponents of pre-emption repeal are the NRA and Newtown-based National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). NSSF is threatening to pull the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade) Show out of Las Vegas if pre-emption is overturned.

The Nevada Senate approved universal background checks legislation in February 2019 in a party line vote of 13-8. There’s no reason why Democratic votes should be lacking for a policy to restore control to local governments when it comes to the fundamental issue of public safety.

Please contact Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Everytown for Gun Safety through the channels below and give them the following messages, personalized to your liking:

Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro
Phone: (775) 684-1475
Email: Nicole.Cannizzaro@sen.state.nv.us
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole4nevada/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nicole4Nevada

I am upset you negotiated a backroom deal on AB 291 with Everytown for Gun Safety without giving Assemblywoman and gun violence survivor Sandra Jauregui a seat at the table. For starters, this is NOT the way you treat gun violence survivors. We should be elevating their voices, not suppressing them! Survivors are better fit to lead on GVP than anyone—because they understand exactly what is at stake for Nevada residents and American democracy. Second, don’t tell me you can’t get 9 Democratic votes to repeal an NRA-drafted  pre-emption law from 2015. You have a 13-8 majority and Senate Democrats have already voted unanimously for universal background checks this session. Do you recall Republicans folding the tent like this when they faced a little pressure in the majority? I don’t think so. Finally, understand the historic opportunity you have here. Pre-emption laws have caused tremendous suffering by stopping the people who know best about gun violence in their communities from taking action. If you were to repeal Nevada’s pre-emption law, it could have ripple effects and lead to successful campaigns in other states. So many lives would be saved! You’d be seen as a leader in preventing suffering and strengthening democratic institutions.  PUT THE PRE-EMPTION REPEAL LANGUAGE BACK INTO AB 291 and give the FULL bill a vote on the Senate floor! I will be watching your actions closely and organizing politically as necessary. I hope you do the right thing.

Everytown for Gun Safety
Email: info@everytown.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Everytown/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Everytown

I am upset you negotiated a backroom deal on AB 291 with Senate Majority Leaders Nicole Cannizzaro without giving Assemblywoman and gun violence survivor Sandra Jauregui a seat at the table. Everytown should know better than anybody this is NOT the way you treat gun violence survivors. We need to be elevating their voices, not suppressing them. Second, I refuse to believe Sen. Cannizzaro can’t get 9 Democratic votes to repeal an NRA-drafted  pre-emption law from 2015. Senate Democrats enjoy a 13-8 majority and have already voted unanimously for universal background checks this session. Republicans didn’t fold the tent like this when they were in the majority and faced a little pressure! Finally, understand the historic opportunity you have here. Pre-emption laws have caused tremendous suffering nationwide by stopping the people who know best about gun violence in their communities from taking action. If you helped repeal Nevada’s pre-emption law it could have ripple effects and lead to successful campaigns in other purple (and red) states. So many lives would be saved! Everytown would be seen as a leader in preventing suffering and safeguarding democratic institutions. PUT THE PRE-EMPTION REPEAL LANGUAGE BACK INTO AB 291 and support a vote on the FULL bill in the Nevada Senate. I will be watching your actions closely. Please do the right thing.

Suggested Tweet:
Nevada Senate Majority Leader & inexplicably pulled the plug on a strong gun control plan offered by Route 91 survivor . Let’s fix that! #GunControlNow

Once you have contacted Senate Majority Leader Cannizzaro and/or Everytown, click the orange banner below to report taking action!


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