Legislature considers gun bills

CARSON CITY — The national gun debate came to the state Legislature on Monday when three measures, including a bill that would allow public school and university system employees with concealed-weapons permits to carry their guns at work, were heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

No action was taken on the measures.

Senate Bill 223, by Sen. Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, would require employees choosing to carry their weapons to notify their campus president or school principal that they were doing so.

The bill drew comment on both sides of the issue.

Duncan Mackie, representing the Nevada Firearms Coalition, spoke in support of the bill, saying gun-free zones such as schools create safety issues.

All citizens with concealed-weapons permits should be allowed to carry their guns on school grounds and college campuses, but the bill is a step forward, he said.

But representatives of the Nevada System of Higher Education and the Clark County School District opposed the bill, as did several law enforcement organizations, including the UNLV Police Department.

Chancellor Dan Klaich said the system asks a lot of its faculty, but it does not ask them to patrol their campuses.

The Board of Regents has a policy allowing individuals to carry a gun on campus if they seek permission from the campus president, Klaich said. Such permission would be granted when there is a perceived threat to an individual.

Klaich said there have been only a few requests to carry weapons, and many of those have been denied because there was no such threat.

Joyce Haldeman, speaking for the Clark County School District, also opposed the bill, noting that schools remain one of the safest places for children. Principals can allow individuals to carry weapons, and they have done so in some cases, she said.

The decision should be left to each school administrator, Haldeman said.

Senate Bill 226, by Sen. James Settelmeyer, R-Minden, would allow those with concealed-weapons permits to have that information noted on a Nevada drivers’ license or identification card.

It would also repeal Clark County’s gun registration requirement.

Janine Hansen, a citizen lobbyist, supported the bill, saying the repeal of the Clark County gun registration requirement is “long overdue.”

Having uniform gun laws throughout the state is a sound concept, she said.

But Las Vegas police opposed the elimination of the registration requirement.

Chuck Callaway, representing the Metropolitan Police Department, said the registration requirement has been in place in Clark County since 1948 and is a valuable investigative tool.

He cited a case in which a young woman was murdered and the weapon was traced to her landlord through registration records.

The final measure, Senate Bill 137, would repeal the requirement to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Law-abiding citizens can carry weapons openly without a permit now, and they should be able to carry those weapons discreetly without obtaining a costly and time-consuming permit, said Sen. Don Gustavson, R-Sparks, the bill’s sponsor.

A new concealed carry permit from Las Vegas police costs $97.50.

Callaway opposed the measure, saying that concealed-weapons permit holders must undergo background checks and get training. The department gets about 10,000 applications for permits each year, and over the past two years has denied about 240 requests, he said.

Callaway called it an officer safety issue and said it would probably result in some people carrying concealed weapons who should not be allowed to do so, such as gang members.