Gun control activists in Nevada are trying to rally supporters to get behind a bill that would impose several new restrictions on legal gun owners in the state, including allowing “gun-free zones” to be extended into business parking lots and a ban on the sale of unserialized DIY gun-making kits.

Moms Demand Action hosted a virtual rally for the bill on Tuesday evening, desperately attempting to drum up support for what they surely thought would be a popular proposal. Instead, public comment is currently overwhelmingly opposed to the legislation.

In a public forum for voters to leave their thoughts, AB 286 has the second-highest number of written comments submitted of any bill. There are almost 2,500 written opinions opposed and only 370 in support.

The executive director of the Nevada Republican Party responded with a statement that reads:

“It is no surprise to see strong opposition to AB286, as an overwhelming majority of the written public opinions submitted to the Legislature have been against this bill. This legislation would create gun free zones where law abiding citizens are unable to defend themselves from criminals who don’t respect laws and will bring firearms onto properties regardless.

To be clear, this bill does nothing to stop gun violence on the Las Vegas strip as mentioned by the Moms Demand Action group. The majority of the crime that is gun-related is in fact committed by people who illegally possess firearms. Creating more laws and regulations on gun owners will only hurt law abiding citizens while wrongdoers continue to break the law. This piece of legislation essentially negates the right to carry a concealed weapon according to current law. 

This vague legislation is a direct attack on Nevadans’ second amendment rights and only aims to please large out-of-state donors that have funded Democrat campaigns for years with the sole purpose of making our state less safe.  Firearms are an essential protection for women, particularly women who are victims of domestic abuse. This is an attack on our most vulnerable and Nevadans demand Democrats stand with women, with well trained and regulated CCW holders, and for the right to self-defense. Legislators must do the right thing and be a champion for women’s safety by voting down AB286.

The state GOP is right that the bill would end up essentially negating the right to carry a concealed firearm by allowing businesses and property owners to ban firearms from even the parking lots of their establishment. I try not to patronize businesses that forbid lawful carrying of firearms, but generally, legal gun owners could at least store their firearm in their vehicle if they had to run inside a business that declared itself a “gun-free zone”. That wouldn’t be possible under AB 286, and the bill would either lead to widespread noncompliance (both intentional and unintentional) or would lead to many concealed carry holders, particularly in the state’s more populated areas, to choose not to exercise their rights because they would have no way to store their firearm if they had to shop or visit a business with a no-guns-allowed policy.

While the Republican Party focused on the gun-free zone aspect of AB 286, Democrats are highlighting the bill’s new restrictions on home-built firearms.

“There’s no way to trace crimes back to crimes committed with ghost guns because there is no serial number,” said Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui. “They are untraceable. And we’ve seen the increase of ghost guns being sold, as we’ve seen the number of states passing background checks.”

Sen. Jacky Rosen and Gov. Steve Sisolak also sent recorded messages to the group, showing their support for the proposed legislation.

The gun control bill would make it a criminal offense to buy or sell an unfinished frame or receiver that is not serialized, as well as criminalizing the build of any gun that doesn’t have a serial number. Criminals aren’t going to pay any more attention to this portion of the legislation than they would the section expanding gun-free zones, and the bill would ultimately create more criminals out of legal gun owners than it would thwart any violent crime.

That’s a feature, not a bug, for the anti-gun politicians and gun control advocates supporting AB 286, and while public opposition is dwarfing the support for legislation, with Gov. Steve Sisolak and other high-ranking Democrats in favor, the legislation may very well pass over the objections of the public. Gun owners need to keep up the pressure and keep up their contacts with their state representatives and senators to let them know this bill’s not only bad for public safety and the right to keep and bear arms, but won’t be helpful to their political future either.