When Sandra Jauregui was first elected into the Nevada Legislature, little did she know she would lead major gun safety reform bills. Her path changed when she fell victim to the largest mass shooting in modern American history — the Route 91 shooting in 2017— that killed 58 people and injured more than 800.
Jauregui, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, has since championed bills during multiple legislative sessions to address gun violence in the Silver State—and she hopes to continue to do so if elected come November.
A rocky record for Anthony
It won’t come easy as she will compete against Republican incumbent Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony, and with the threat of a blue wave occurring this midterm election, MAGA Republicans are ramping up fundraising in order to keep their vulnerable seats.
While Stavros has been embroiled in a slew of ethics complaints—and was fined $3,000 after the Nevada Ethics Commission found he used government resources, including his official social media accounts to promote a task force he created to bar transgender girls from girl sports—Jauregui has another goal in mind: to protect Nevadans from more mass shootings.
On Saturday, July 18, Jauregui rolled out her public safety plan to continue addressing gun violence.
“I do not accept the Trump-Stavros Anthony agenda that allows the rich to profit off the murder of Americans, while they throw up their hands and say there is nothing we can do,” Jauregui said.
Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords joined Jauregui in her public safety rollout. Like Jauregui, Giffords is a gun violence survivor after an attempted assassination attempt in 2011 and has become a leading advocate on the matter.
“As a survivor of the devastating 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, Majority Leader Jauregui knows exactly how urgent this issue is to Nevadans,” Giffords said. “In the Assembly, she has been on the frontlines of passing commonsense gun safety laws that will save lives across the state and I look forward to her building on that progress as the next Lieutenant Governor of Nevada.”
Jauregui’s public safety plan
Jauregui has three pillars in her plan.
First, she hopes to form the Preventing Abuse, Crime and Terrorism Office, which she dubbed as the “PACT Office,” where she will work with law enforcement to educate the public, and to stop criminals, abusers and terrorists from buying firearms.
After the press conference, Jauregui told The Nevadan she hasn’t spoken with law enforcement yet about this initiative, but has already worked with law enforcement with prior bills she spearheaded.
The following session after the Route 91 shooting, Jauregui sponsored a law known as the “1 October Bill” that enacted the red flag law in Nevada. This law allows police and family members to petition a court to temporarily remove a person’s firearm if they’re deemed a threat to themselves or others.
The law, however, has rarely been used in the Silver State. The scarce use of the law raised questions last year after a Nevada native conducted a mass shooting in New York. Advocates pointed out that the suspect had been hospitalized two times prior to the shooting for mental health related issues, and if the law had been used correctly, the shooting could have been prevented.
Jauregui hopes the PACT Office can help further educate Nevadans on the red flag law.
“We have been bringing resources to our state … to help bring education on how red flag laws and extreme high risk protection orders can be used, so that people can start using them and we can start making sure that people who should not have firearms, because they pose a danger to themselves or others, have those firearms temporarily removed,” Jauregui said.
Jauregui’s second pillar is to reform firearm dealer licensing. Before someone is hired at a firearm dealer, she hopes to implement background checks and age requirements. Jauregui also wants the products locked up after closing, and will revoke licenses if the dealer breaks the law.
“We can model it after a licensing and regulatory framework that already exists for other industries that are far less deadly, like marijuana dispensaries,” Jauregui said.
Currently, Nevada does not license firearm dealers.
Third, if elected, Jauregui will enforce how state dollars are spent. This means Nevadans tax dollars will be used to buy equipment and firearms from gun dealers with clean compliance records.
“I will work with anyone, Democrat, Republican or Independent, with the same mission: creating a Nevada where people feel safe and free to go to concerts, or church or their school without the fear of being gunned down,” Jauregui said. “We can protect both the second amendment and second graders. That is what I intend to do as your next Lieutenant Governor.”
