Bill to keep guns from abusers criticized for other elements

By Riley Snyder, Associated Press

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015 | 3:54 p.m.

CARSON CITY — A wide-ranging Nevada bill discussed Wednesday would bar people from owning a gun after a domestic violence conviction. But it also drew strident criticism for broadening the definition of justifiable homicide and expanding concealed carry laws.

The Republican-sponsored measure SB175, which was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee, also prevents people from purchasing a gun if there's a restraining order against them, and it gives immunity from civil lawsuits when a shooting is ruled justified.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson, the bill's primary sponsor, said the measure gathers a number of gun-related proposals that have a chance at passing both houses of the Legislature when bundled together.

"I am open to all proposals to strengthen this bill," he said. "There's a difference between proposing a bill that may be perfect in the eyes of some, but may not have the votes necessary to be enacted into law."

Democratic Sen. Debbie Smith, who is still recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor, said in a statement Wednesday that the Republican-backed bill didn't go far enough to help victims of violent crime. "Expanding 'Stand Your Ground' laws will make this state a more dangerous place for all Nevadans, particularly women who are so often the victims of violent crimes," she wrote in a release.

Both Smith and Roberson have introduced legislation aimed at keeping domestic-violence convicts from owning or purchasing firearms. But Democrats say Smith's bill, SB187, has stricter limitations and includes people who were convicted of stalking or are under extended protection orders.

Roberson said his bill doesn't change the state's "stand your ground" laws, and that it clarifies existing state law regarding justifiable homicides in occupied vehicles. He pointed out that Nevada's "stand your ground" law passed in 2011 with the support of Democrats and Republicans.

Lucia McBath, a national spokeswoman for Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America, also testified during the meeting about her son, 17-year-old Jordan Davis, who was killed in 2012 by a Florida man who attempted to use a "stand your ground law" defense during trial. McBath said she came to Nevada to share her firsthand knowledge of the dangers associated with such laws.

"There has to be some accountability, and there has to be some common-sense regulation of those rights, so people aren't acting as their own vigilantes," she said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Megan Bedera, a Nevada Firearms Coalition lobbyist, said her group supported all portions of the bill. "We appreciate how the bill was written," she said. "It's got some great reforms."

Roberson's bill also includes provisions that would further shield the shooters in justifiable homicides from lawsuits. Nevada would join 18 other states that offer such protection, according to a study by the American Bar Association.

The bill would also change the law to allow more out-of-state concealed gun permit owners to legally carry in Nevada. The state currently recognizes concealed carry permits from 14 other states, after officials determined their standards for permit-holders are equally or more stringent than those in Nevada.

Several bills in the Legislature aim to increase reciprocity, including AB139 and SB171, which were debated Wednesday.

Republican Sen. James Settelmeyer said the bills have only minor differences, such as the minimum age for concealed weapon permits. He said it's likely that the concept behind the bills will be rolled into a single proposal.

Associated Press writer Michelle Rindels contributed to this report.