Nevada Legislature: Senate OKs bill barring guns for abusers

The state Senate passed a Republican bill Monday that would restrict people convicted of domestic violence from having a gun, but would also broaden the definition of justifiable homicide and make other changes to Nevada’s gun laws.

SB175 passed in a 14-5 vote, with some Democrats opposed, and will now head to the Assembly. It’s sponsored by Republican senators and Assembly members.

The bill would prohibit a person from owning a gun if they’ve been convicted of domestic violence, or from purchasing one if there’s a restraining order filed against them.

It also would expand the definition of justifiable homicide to include killings that occur while a person is defending an occupied home or vehicle.

The bill was vetted during an emotional hearing in February, with critics raising concerns that the measure looked too much like “Stand Your Ground” laws that have cleared gunmen in high-profile shootings.

Lucia McBath, whose 17-year-old son Jordan Davis was killed in 2012 by a Florida man who attempted to use a “stand your ground” defense during trial, testified against the bill.

“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.

But some amendments made the bill more palatable to Democrats, who ended up joining Republicans to support it with a 6-0 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The original language justified shooters who “had reason to fear” for their safety, but the amended version raised the standard to “reasonably feared.”

Democratic Sen. David Parks tried to introduce amendments on the floor Monday, but they were voted down along party lines. One would have removed a provision nullifying local government rules that conflict with state laws, which Parks said opens municipalities up for costly lawsuits from groups like the National Rifle Association.

Another failed amendment would have remove language allowing Nevada to accept concealed weapon permits from more states. Parks said the provision would expand reciprocity to states that don’t meet Nevada’s high standards for issuing permits.