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Nevada Senate approves measure requiring attorney general to appoint special counsel for gun-violence prevention
Summary
The Nevada Senate on May 20 passed SB156 as amended, which removes creation of a standalone Office for Prevention of Gun Violence and instead requires the attorney general to appoint a special counsel for the prevention of gun violence; final passage was 11-8.
The Nevada Senate passed Senate Bill 156 on May 20, 2025, requiring the state attorney general to appoint a special counsel for the prevention of gun violence. The chamber approved the measure as amended by an 11-8 roll-call vote and ordered the bill to the Assembly.
The adopted amendment deletes multiple sections of the original bill and replaces the proposed standalone office with a requirement that the attorney general appoint a special counsel who would have powers and duties set by the statute. Supporters said the change preserves the measure’s goal of creating a permanent focus on prevention while narrowing its structure.
Senator Flores, who carried the bill, said the measure grew out of work by students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas who sought a nonpartisan, research-driven approach after a campus shooting. "Young Republicans and young Democrats from UNLV brought it forth ... they wanted to make sure that we weren't creating policy that was attacking the Second Amendment, but was addressing the root issue of gun violence," Flores said on the floor.
Opponents said the proposal risked expanding government oversight and channeling public funds toward advocacy. "This bill represents an unnecessary expansion of government bureaucracy and a potential threat to the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens," Senator Buck said during floor debate, arguing the office could fund advocacy and lack ideological safeguards.
Senator Scheibel spoke in support and urged colleagues not to oppose creating an infrastructure for continued conversations about prevention: "It opens the conversation and it keeps it open," Scheibel said. On a procedural amendment (Amendment 8-47), Senator Dondero Lupo moved to adopt the amendment; the motion carried on the floor prior to final passage.
The committee amendment deleted sections 3, 4, 5, 10 and 13 of the introduced bill and revised sections 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 to eliminate establishment of an independent office and instead require the attorney general to appoint a special counsel for prevention of gun violence. The bill text as enrolled sets an effective date of July 1, 2025.
Final roll-call: yes 11, no 8. The Senate declared SB156 passed and ordered it to the Assembly for consideration.
The measure now moves to the Assembly for concurrence or further action; the bill text as amended sets an effective date of July 1, 2025.
