Nevada campus carry gun bill sent to Assembly floor

CARSON CITY — The Assembly Judiciary Committee on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow permit holders to have firearms on college campuses.

Assembly Bill 487, also known as a “campus carry bill,” now goes to the Assembly floor for a vote.

The issue has come up before this legislative session. The Assembly last week had killed a campus carry amendment to a different bill, with eight Republicans crossing ranks and joining Democrats to defeat the measure that would have allowed firearms on campus.

Seven of those eight Republicans are sponsoring the new bill, which has identical language to the amendment they rejected. The bill would allow permit holders to carry a concealed weapon on their person on campus. Permit holders also could have a firearm inside their vehicle or stored in a locked container attached to the vehicle.

Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, R-Las Vegas, sharply criticized the Republicans who voted against the amendment last week. She said she’s “holding the not-so-great eight responsible” if the new bill does not get past the Senate.

Fiore said she supports the new bill but is leaving her name off as a sponsor to avoid hurting its chances of passage in the Senate.

Under existing law, a concealed weapon holder needs written permission from the college president to bring a firearm on campus. Permission is rarely granted. Nevadans must be at least age 21 to have a concealed weapons permit.

There has been widespread, but by no means unanimous, opposition to campus carry from students, faculty and administrators of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Assemblyman Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, the committee’s chairman, said he anticipates the bill will get a vote on the Assembly floor. The bill also would need to pass the Senate, where its future remains in doubt. A previous campus carry measure did not get a hearing in the Senate.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1.