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Bill Would Restrict Guns For People Convicted Of Domestic Violence

Incidents of violence against women in Nevada continue to outpace most states in the country.  

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The liberal think tank Center for American Progress says between 2003 and 2012 Nevada was ranked eighth in the nation for women who were killed by guns.

The center says 185 women were killed by an intimate partner in Nevada in that time period, half were fatally shot.

To help reduce the number of deaths, Democratic state Senator Debbie Smith is seeking to ban gun ownership for those convicted of domestic abuse or for people who are subject to an extended restraining order for domestic violence.

Currently, state law gives judges discretion to prohibit a person with a restraining order filed against them from having a gun. Under Smith’s proposal, that would be mandatory.

Nevada Firearms Coalition President Don Turner says the current law goes far enough and expanding restrictions on guns wouldn’t address the problem.

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The Republican-controlled Legislature was already a hurdle for the proposal, but now Smith’s serious health issues are putting the bill’s fate into question. 

GUEST:

State Sen. Aaron Ford, D-Las Vegas

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
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(Editor's note: Chris Sieroty no longer works for Nevada Public Radio)