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Guns In Nevada: A Closer Look At New Legislation

Ggreidcao/Wikimedia Commons

Two mass shootings in the United States and the deaths of 18 victims has put the spotlight on gun control. 

In Nevada, two reforms are being considered: one to ban untraceable polymer/plastic-based guns. Another would allow businesses to keep out customers who openly carry guns. 

And a Nevada business has a stake in the outcome. A major producer of ghost-gun kits is based in Dayton, Nevada, six hours north of Las Vegas. That company, Polymer80, is also being sued by the City of Los Angeles. The city says Polymer80 guns violate background check laws. 

And doesn’t it seem that for much of the pandemic year, mass shootings disappeared? At least in Nevada, people are starting to feel a sense of normalcy as vaccinations spread, as tourists return to the state. 

The sad fact is normalcy in the U.S. includes mass shootings. They actually increased 50 percent in 2020—if mass shootings are defined as killing 4 or more people, not including the shooter. 

 

Sandra Jauregui, Assemblywoman, (D-NV); Jim Wheeler, Assemblyman, (R-NV); Steve Lindley, Program Manager, Brady Campaign; Stephen Benning, Associate Professor of Psychology, UNLV;  Joel A. Capellan, Assistant Professor of Law & Justice Studies, Rowan University; Andy Walsh, Assistant Sheriff, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

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Bert is a reporter and producer based in Reno, where he covers the state legislature and stories that resonate across Nevada. He began his career in journalism after studying abroad during the summer of 2011 in Egypt, during the Arab Spring. Before he joined Nevada Public Radio and Capital Public Radio, Bert was a contributor at KQED and the Sacramento News & Review. He was also a photographer, video editor and digital producer at the East Bay Express.
Joe Schoenmann joined Nevada Public Radio in 2014. He works with a talented team of producers at State of Nevada who explore the casino industry, sports, politics, public health and everything in between.