Nevada’s War on the Second Amendment

If there’s one thing Nevada’s legislators have gotten good at, it’s stretching the Constitution like an old pair of suspenders until it fits whatever shape suits ‘em. The latest victim of their tailorin’ efforts is the Second Amendment, which they’ve been wringing out like a prospector squeezing the last drop from his canteen.

The so-called “red flag” law—where the government can ride up and snatch a citizen’s firearms based on accusations rather than actual crime—has been gaining steam in Nevada faster than a locomotive headed downhill. There were just five of these extreme risk protection orders in 2021. Last year? Twenty-seven. This year? Sixty-one. And if the Attorney General’s office has its way, that will climb higher than a gambler’s debts.

Nevada’s lawmakers, bless their regulation-lovin’ hearts, even shelled out $400,000 in taxpayer dollars to train officers on how to use this law more often, with plans to educate the public on why they, too, should be delighted to strip a neighbor’s rights without so much as a trial. But don’t worry—it’s all for your safety.

Governor Joe Lombardo once campaigned on repealing this law, promising to toss it out like a bad hand at the poker table. But it was hot air as he knew the Democrats were holding the reins in the Legislature, so that promise is sittin’ in the dust. His office now claims that no repeal legislation has even crossed his desk, proving once again that campaign pledges are often worth about as much as a prospector’s empty pan.

And what do the firearm advocacy folks have to say? Well, they’re none too pleased. The NRA argues that Nevada’s law throws due process into the outhouse, allowing the government to snatch guns based on “mere accusations” rather than proof of wrongdoing. Meanwhile, gun control groups think the law doesn’t go far enough—they want teachers, doctors, and mental health professionals added to the list of folks who can initiate these confiscations.

Some studies claim red flag laws save lives, while others say the evidence is shakier than a jackrabbit in a windstorm. But the real question is whether Nevadans are ready to let their rights get governed by guesswork and gut feelings.

One thing’s for sure: the Second Amendment doesn’t mean much if lawmakers keep treatin’ it like an optional guideline rather than the law of the land.