Last year, Lombardo was previously caught having lied while courting the far-right gun lobby on the campaign trail in 2021, when he significantly downplayed the number of untraceable, unregulated weapons known as ghost guns confiscated by law enforcement in Las Vegas. In an attempt to win over his far-right base during a competitive primary for governor, Lombardo claimed only six ghost guns had been confiscated. In fact, that figure was in the hundreds. 

In 2024, the Nevada State Supreme Court upheld the state’s 2021 law banning the sale and possession of ghost guns. This came on the heels of Lombardo’s veto of AB354, a similar bill that would have cracked down on dangerous ghost guns to keep communities safe. Lombardo claimed he vetoed that Democrat-led legislation because it and other bills like it “don’t pass constitutional muster,” but the Nevada Supreme Court’s decision to uphold AB286 shows that Lombardo’s excuse was a flimsy, politically-motivated cover up — and exactly the type of rhetoric that one might expect from someone beholden to the gun lobby like Joe Lombardo.  

In 2023, despite unethically using his law enforcement background for political gain on the campaign trail in 2022, Joe Lombardo stiffed Nevada Police Union members by ordering that they and other state employees who were working under collective bargaining agreements wouldn’t be receiving longevity pay under AB522 – payments of up to $1,027. In May of 2023, while Democrats voted in favor, he voted against the Nevada Police Union’s collective bargaining agreement that included critical pay increases for officers. 

Nevada State Democratic Party spokesperson Tai Sims:

“While Nevada Democrats took serious action to get untraceable weapons off our streets and supported much-needed pay raises for law enforcement officers, Joe Lombardo was on the campaign trail lying about the very real threat ghost guns posed to our communities and obstructing efforts to put more money back in first responders’ pockets. Instead of working to protect Nevada families and paying those who put their lives on the line to protect us adequately, Lombardo lied about the threat of ghost guns – proving yet again he will always prioritize his own political gain over Nevadans.”