LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill that would have prohibited carrying firearms at polling places in Nevada, the second time he's rejected the idea in as many legislative sessions.
WATCH | Lombardo has vetoed more bills than any other governor in Nevada history
Assembly Bill 105, by Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui, D-Clark County, would have banned the carrying of weapons at polling places, the same way they're banned in places such as schools, airports, courthouses and government buildings.
Lombardo rejected a similar measure in 2023, but that bill included language pertaining to so-called ghost guns that was not included in this session's version. In an interview in May 2024, Lombardo said he'd "evaluate" a polling-place gun ban that didn't include the extraneous language.
WATCH | The fight between gun rights and public safety
But in his veto message rejecting AB 105, Lombardo said "...this bill merely duplicates protections already established under both federal and state law against voter intimidation near polling places."
"The provisions in AB 105 are therefore redundant and do not offer meaningful new protections," Lombardo added. "Instead, they simply create additional 'gun-free zones' without clear justification."
He added that while the bill included provisions calling for signs at polling places warning gun owners that firearms were prohibited, "AB 105 would only be reasonable if it ensured that individuals legally authorized to carry firearms on a daily basis retain that right on election day."
Lombardo also rejected Assembly Bill 434, which would have prohibited employers from disciplining employees for refusing to attend mandatory workplace meetings on political or religious topics.
Lombardo said terms in the proposed law were vague and could create "legal traps."
He also turned away Assembly Bill 589, which would have prohibited state or local agencies from collecting autism-related data on people. Lombardo said the bill overlapped with federal law and could create confusion.
Thus far, the governor has rejected at least 52 bills from the 2025 session, still short of the single-session record he set in 2023, when 75 bills were vetoed.
He has 10 days after the Legislature adjourns to sign or veto a bill, or it becomes law without his signature. That deadline comes on Friday.
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