Panel hears bill to bar some people convicted of hate crimes from buying firearms for 10 years
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Summary
Supporters told a joint Senate–Assembly judiciary hearing that SB89 would temporarily prohibit firearm purchase/possession for people convicted of hate crimes to reduce hate-motivated gun violence; defenders and public defenders raised constitutional and scope concerns.
A joint hearing of the Nevada Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees heard testimony on Senate Bill 89, which would prohibit a person from purchasing, possessing or controlling a firearm for a defined period if the person has been convicted of certain hate-related offenses.
Sen. Julie Pizzina, sponsor of SB 89, told the committees the bill closes a perceived gap in Nevada law that allows people convicted of misdemeanor or gross-misdemeanor hate crimes to keep and buy firearms. "It enacts a temporary 10 year prohibition on firearm purchases for individuals convicted of violent hate crimes," Pizzina said, citing federal and state data showing a rise in hate-motivated violence.
Support witnesses from gun-violence-prevention groups and civil-rights organizations described recent incidents of antisemitic and other identity-based violence in Nevada and nationally, and urged the committees to move the bill. Elliot Mallon of the Anti-Defamation League described local threats and said the measure "is not about permanently depriving an individual from owning a firearm. It is about keeping communities safe." Tanya Sharp of Brady and Ethan Murray of Giffords said the bill mirrors laws in other states and that prohibiting access to firearms for people convicted of hate-driven conduct is a measured step to reduce risk.
Opponents — including representatives of county public-defender offices and the NRA — warned the committee that the proposal raises constitutional questions and could sweep too broadly by restricting rights after convictions for gross misdemeanors. Paloma Guerrero of the Clark County Public Defender's Office noted that a hate crime in Nevada is an enhancement to an underlying offense and argued that using gross-misdemeanor convictions to disqualify people from firearm ownership may lack a historical analog required under recent Supreme Court precedent. The Washoe County Public Defender echoed those concerns.
Committee members asked a series of technical and policy questions about definitions, which crimes would trigger the prohibition, how many convictions exist in Nevada and whether the measure addresses issues the governor raised when vetoing a prior, related bill. Support witnesses said convictions for hate crimes are relatively rare in Nevada — "116 convictions for hate crimes in Nevada" in 2023 was cited in the hearing — and that a separate, narrower class of "violent hate crimes" could carry longer prohibitions.
The hearing record includes substantial stakeholder testimony on both sides; committee counsel and witnesses reviewed the hate-crime statutes to show which underlying offenses (assault, battery, harassment, some property offenses and graffiti, among others) would carry an enhancement. Sponsors said they are willing to work with the governor's office and with legal advisers to address constitutional and drafting concerns raised during the hearing. The committees closed the public-record portion of the hearing without a committee vote.
The hearing transcript shows extended Q&A on the bill's statutory references, the burden on prosecutors to prove a hate motivation, whether certain classes (for example, law enforcement) might be treated differently, and how the proposal compares to similar laws in other states. The measure remains in committee for additional drafting and possible amendment.
