What Stood in the Way

Here they go again. Once more, "Republican rebranding" is the term of the day. Why? They just can't stop reminding us of why they tried "rebranding" in the first place.

Case in point: Colorado State Senator Bernie Herpin (R-Colorado Springs). While the Colorado Legislature was debating a bill he proposed to overturn the state’s new ban on high capacity magazines, he let these "words of wisdom" slip from his tongue.

“My understanding is that James Holmes bought his 100-round capacity magazine legally,” state Sen. Irene Aguilar (D) said to Herpin during the hearing. “So in fact, this law would have stopped James Holmes from purchasing a 100-round magazine. ... I just wondered if you agree with me.”

“Perhaps, James Holmes would not have been able to purchase a 100-round magazine,” Herpin said in response. “As it turned out, that was maybe a good thing that he had a 100-round magazine, because it jammed. If he had instead had four, five, six 15-round magazines, no telling how much damage he could have done until a good guy with a gun showed up.”

For the record, James Holmes was able to shoot 45 rounds in that Aurora movie theater in July 2012. He killed 12 people and wounded 58 others. And NRA All Star Bernie Herpin thinks it's "maybe a good thing" that James Holmes was able to legally obtain a 100-round magazine to use to kill 12 people & injure 58 other people in that Aurora movie theater?

Meanwhile in Florida, the NRA & its G-O-TEA allies are pushing to expand Florida's now infamous "Stand Your Ground" statute. Michael Dunn is on trial for the murder of Jordan Davis. And even though Dunn is using "Stand Your Ground" as his defense, his supporters are worried that his story of "defending himself against a car blasting loud music" may simply be too absurd for a jury to use to acquit him of all criminal charges. So now, the NRA is "jumping to the rescue" to save white & well armed wannabe militia-men from the "clear & present danger" of unarmed African-American youth like Jordan Davis & Trayvon Martin.

Meanwhile here in Nevada, some local Republicans want everyone to know that Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NRA) is "what stood in the way" between us and better gun safety laws. It probably won't be long until we hear about how US Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA) & Rep. Joe Heck (R-NRA) are "what stood in the way" between us and federal level progress on gun violence prevention. After all, why shouldn't they all be proud of standing in the way of efforts to prevent the meaningless loss of life of those who simply "committed the crime" of going to the movies, listening to music in the car, going to school, and/or walking home while black?

Yep, so many G-O-TEA politicians continue to boast about how they're "what stood in the way" of any & all gun safety legislation. And they continue deluding themselves into thinking this is some kind of "virtue".

Breakthrough?

Earlier this month, we caught a whiff of what was to come. While the main focus of Teresa's phone bank pizza party in Henderson was building a critical mass demanding federal gun safety reform that Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA) could no longer ignore, there was also talk of SB 221 in Carson City. Now, we're starting to see that talk materialize into action.

Last night, Ralston posted the mailers that the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Demand Action campaign has been sending to voters in five State Senate districts represented by "Senate GOP Mod Squad'ers". Senators Michael Roberson (R-Henderson), Ben Kieckhefer (R-Reno), Greg Brower (R-Reno), Mark Hutchison (R-Las Vegas), and Scott Hammond (R-Las Vegas) have all signaled willingness this session to bust stereotypes and break the legislative logjam on issues ranging from school funding to immigrant rights. Yet so far, we've seen limited evidence of this.

The Demand Action campaign is looking to change this. And gun safety advocates especially see opportunity in "Mod Squad" Senators being forced to confront a policy that anywhere from 70-86% of Nevadans support.

Colorado Republicans had to do this earlier this year when their Legislature passed gun safety reform bills that included expanded background checks and limits on magazine capacity. They ultimately passed on party line votes as Republicans lined up to please their NRA sugar daddies decry the bills as "illegal gun grabbing". And on Wednesday, Colorado Republican (Legislature) leaders had to confront a father who lost his son in the Aurora theater massacre last July.



So we may soon be seeing fireworks erupt over gun safety in Carson City. Mayors Against Illegal Guns, ProgressNow Nevada, and many grassroots activists are ready to make a final push for SB 221. But of course, the NRA and the rest of the gun lobby are making another push to kill SB 221 and any other effort at reasonable gun safety reform.

The political battle lines are being drawn. It's now a matter of whether the forces for reform can finally figure out a way to break the NRA's stranglehold over Carson City. Can Nevada follow in Colorado's footsteps in achieving a historic breakthrough? Or will all Republicans in Carson City run scared like Dean Heller did in DC?

It Keeps Hitting Home.

He may be on his way out, but he refuses to go away quietly. Even as Assembly leaders take steps to force him out, Steven Brooks remains defiant. And he made this surprising comment when speaking to The Sun's Anjeanette Damon.

Asked for reaction to the Democrats’ decision [to remove him from their caucus], Brooks said: “It’s the dumbest thing they’ve ever done.”

Then he added: “No, don’t say that. I love them still.”

Brooks said he has no plans to join the Republican caucus.

“Why would I do that? I just like to fight for my 2nd Amendment rights,” he said, in apparent agreement with a Republican stance. “Other than that, I stand alone. Only God stands with me.”

No really, he said that. And frankly, considering the chain of events there, "fighting for 2nd Amendment rights" takes a chilling new meaning. It's a reminder of how close Carson City might have been to a very dangerous situation.

And that's not all. Back down south, Southern Nevada law enforcement are participating in a massive multi-state man-hunt. A former Los Angeles police officer is wanted on a murder charge in Orange County, California, he's a person of interest in other recent shootings in Southern California, and he now may be hiding here.

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Authorities issued a statewide "officer safety warning" and police were sent to protect people named in the posting that was believed to be written by the fired officer, Christopher Dorner, who has military training. Among those mentioned were members of the Los Angeles Police Department.

"I will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty," said the manifesto.

Dorner has available multiple weapons including an assault rifle, said [Los Angeles P]olice Chief Charlie Beck. [...]

Dorner is wanted in the killings of Monica Quan and her fiance, Keith Lawrence. They were found shot in their car at a parking structure at their condominium on Sunday night in Irvine, authorities said.

Quan, 28, was an assistant women's basketball coach at Cal State Fullerton. Lawrence, 27, was a public safety officer at the University of Southern California. There was disbelief at three college campuses, Fullerton, USC, and Concordia University, where the two met when they were both students and basketball players.

Dorner was with the department from 2005 until 2008, when he was fired for making false statements.

Quan's father, a former LAPD captain who became a lawyer in retirement, represented Dorner in front of the Board of Rights, a tribunal that ruled against Dorner at the time of his dismissal, LAPD Capt. William Hayes told The Associated Press Wednesday night.

Christopher Dorner owns a home about 9 miles from The Strip, and Metro Police are now participating in the search for Dorner. He is also suspected of killing a Riverside police officer and wounding another early this morning.

Yet again, we're being reminded of what happens when the right guns fall into the wrong hands. Trouble ensues. And real people's lives are at risk. This is not a game.

Unfortunately, the people of Aurora, Colorado, know this all too well. Dave Hoover's nephew was killed in last July's movie theater massacre. And he's now speaking out on gun safety reform.



And he isn't alone. The latest national Quinnipiac Poll shows that 92% (!!!) of Americans support universal background checks. And on top of that, 56% of Americans support both a high-capacity magazine ban and a military grade assault weapons ban.

In recent days, we've been reminded of the real policy problems we have on gun safety. We've especially seen this here in Nevada. Something must change.

House Democrats are releasing their own gun safety plan, but apparently it's very similar to Vice President Biden's and President Obama's. We now know two of Nevada's Members of Congress (Steven Horsford & Dina Titus) support the entirety of President Obama's gun safety plan, including the assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and a ban on high-capacity magazines. It just remains to be seen how brave Harry Reid, Dean Heller, and Joe Heck will be. Perhaps they need to check in on what's happening here in Nevada.

Obama Made His Move. (So Who's Next?)

President Obama came out swinging today in announcing his plan for better gun safety. And he mentioned an unlikely ally in doing so.



Less than 20 years ago, Former President Ronald Reagan urged Congress to pass the Assault Weapons Ban. And the late 40th President is still revered by his Republican Party today. Yet today, at least some of them are actually talking about impeachment of President Obama (??!!) over taking any kind of action on gun safety.

Unfortunately for them, Obama just called their bluff.

The list of proposals from Vice President Biden's task force on gun violence is not short, but it includes universal background checks, a ban on "military-style" assault weapons, limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds, and strengthening existing penalties for gun trafficking.

The president also took 23 executive actions -- which will not require congressional approval -- though nearly all are fairly modest in scope. They include providing gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers, nominating an ATF director (the Senate has refused to confirm an ATF director for six years), informing state health officials about the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover, and launching "a national dialogue ... on mental health."

Obama conceded that the bulk of the reforms must be approved by lawmakers and challenged them to act.

As the next phase begins in earnest, there will be plenty of speculation about what, if anything, can get through Congress, but in the meantime, it's worth appreciating the president's ambition on stemming the tide of gun violence. Obama didn't narrow his focus to a few ideas in the hopes that modesty might win over skeptics, he swung for the fences, unveiling "the most sweeping effort at gun control policy reform in a generation."

Obama has signaled he's serious about tackling gun safety. And he pretty much declared today that he's ready to "shift the Overton Window" on gun safety. For nearly two decades, the gun lobby has stricken fear in the hearts of politicians of both parties. That's why what happened today is so monumental.

“We are extremely happy both with his report and with the remarks he gave at the White House press conference that just concluded,” Ladd Everitt, spokesperson for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, told TPM minutes after Obama finished outlining his plans.

“The executive order he signed today is critically important and, in conjunction with the legislative package he has referred to Congress, could put our nation on a path to a place where days like December 14, 2012 will no longer be possible,” Everitt said, referring to the date of the Newtown shooting.

The Brady Campaign, one of the nation’s oldest gun control advocacy groups, was also effusive after Obama’s remarks.

“The White House has shown tremendous leadership in convening stakeholders and engaging the country in a conversation that the Brady Campaign and so many Americans have been calling for in the wake of Aurora, Newtown, and the 32 gun murders that happen every day in our country,” Brady president Dan Gross said in a statement.

For far too long, gun safety advocates have been seen as the "ugly stepchildren" of gun policy. Hopefully, this perception can finally change.

In recent days, Harry Reid has been cagey on what kind of gun safety reforms he will allow onto the Senate floor. And other Nevada Democrats have been afraid to speak up on the NRA's "legislative bully tactics" here at home. Will that change starting today? One can hope.

Tucson. Gabby. Guns. Two Years Later.

Almost exactly two years ago, this happened.

I'm incredibly horrified by what happened today in Southern Arizona... But sadly, I'm not all that shocked. This was bound to happen. When our political climate becomes so heated, so polarized, and so radicalized, violence is bound to result. In the next few days, I hope Gabrielle Giffords survives surgery and begins full recovery. And I hope all of our political leaders- left, right, and center- condemn this horrid, criminal, possibly terrorist act, and urge Americans not to allow our politics to become so bloody.

Fortunately, Gabrielle Giffords survived that assassination attempt. However, 8 people died that day and several others were wounded. And even since that happened, there have been more horrific mass shootings throughout America.

Back in January 2011, we discussed this.

Yes, yes, I've heard that famous clause: "Guns don't kill. People do." But you know what? When mentally disturbed people can access extremely lethal "weapons of mass distruction" so easily at the neighborhood gun store or local gun show, that's a serious problem.

Unfortunately, nothing happened after Tucson... Other than even more mass shootings. After the July 2012 theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, I just couldn't contain my frustration over a crisis that we let get out of hand.

It's become so easy in most parts of this country (Nevada included) to purchase not just guns, but the very assault weapons that are DESIGNED to kill masses of people. As we've discussed before, it's been easier to buy guns than to access affordable mental health care in most states. There's something seriously wrong with that. [...]

Frankly, I don't think we can afford to keep avoiding this subject. And I don't think it's fair to dismiss all gun safety advocates as "nanny state socialists who want to ban hunting". That's actually not what we're talking about.

Rather, we're asking how logical it is that instruments intended for mass murder are so readily available. And does it make sense that nearly anyone and everyone can access these instruments intended for mass murder? So when will we finally be allowed to have a rational discussion on improving gun safety?

And then, Newtown happened. Apparently, the sight of 20 children and 7 adults slaughtered in their elementary school horrified the entire nation. And it finally led to some deep soul searching on the issue of gun safety.

Of course, there are deranged and disgusting people in this world. Unfortunately, that will never change. However, what has to change is allowing these very people to commit acts of terrorism on our soil. And what has to change is the celebration and downright worship of assault weapons that should have never been allowed to become so commonplace in civilian life.

There. I said it. [...]

[... S]o far, it's looking incredibly likely that Newtown, Connecticut, is now suffering immense loss because of a deranged individual getting one's hands on dangerous assault weapons. There may have been no background check. And clearly, there was no fail-safe to prevent so many bullets from being released so quickly.

Will we ever learn? And will we ever have an honest discussion on how to correct this horrifying failure in public policy? How many more people have to die before we reconsider our extreme allegiance to the gun lobby?

Even Giffords herself, a formerly "pro-gun Democrat" in Congress, has had second thoughts on the extremely permissive attitude towards deadly assault weapons in this country. And she & her husband are now taking action to change that.



And they're not alone. President Obama plans to continue pressing for gun safety reform. And other grassroots voices have emerged in calling for better gun safety. Some of these voices even know firsthand the horrors of extreme gun violence.



Tucson was not the first incident of mass gun violence, nor has it been the last. But as we look back on the last 2 years, we must ask ourselves how much we've done to make our communities safer and free our people from the fear of being "the next victims". And we must demand change.

10 of 12: Aurora. Newtown. Guns. Violence. Change?

While gun violence has been a problem for this country for quite some time, the issue came to the forefront in 2012 in a rather bloody and tragic way. In July, shots were fired in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. 12 people died, and 58 were injured. They were watching the premiere of the new "Batman" film.

It was another horrific crime that "pushed the envelope" on violence in this country. And it made us ask...

It's become so easy in most parts of this country (Nevada included) to purchase not just guns, but the very assault weapons that are DESIGNED to kill masses of people. As we've discussed before, it's been easier to buy guns than to access affordable mental health care in most states. There's something seriously wrong with that. [...]

Frankly, I don't think we can afford to keep avoiding this subject. And I don't think it's fair to dismiss all gun safety advocates as "nanny state socialists who want to ban hunting". That's actually not what we're talking about.

Rather, we're asking how logical it is that instruments intended for mass murder are so readily available. And does it make sense that nearly anyone and everyone can access these instruments intended for mass murder? So when will we finally be allowed to have a rational discussion on improving gun safety?

Unfortunately, this would not be the last time. Just this month, the issue has come to the forefront after a slew of shootings.

That's what makes the series if events today even more tragic. 18 innocent children are dead, along with at least 8 adults. A small town in Connecticut has been devastated by horrific violence. And it really didn't have to happen. And if we want to prevent future tragedies like this one, then we must act. [...]

Even though we've heard plenty of people declare on the cable news channels that "now is not the time" to discuss better gun safety, we just can't do that. How many times have we heard this before when other incidents of mass gun violence occurred? How many more of these must we endure as a nation before we finally take action?

Just this past Tuesday, someone opened fire inside a mall in the Clackamas County suburbs of Portland, Oregon. Two people died, and many more were frightened just as they were doing their Holiday shopping. And then, less than 72 hours after that gruesome act of violence in Oregon, someone else opened fire in an elementary school in Connecticut. And Desert Beacon has a full list of even more mass shootings that occurred just this year. Again, this is truly disgusting. And both events should show us that we can no longer blithely ignore this growing problem of domestic terrorism carried out by easily accessible guns.

While today should be a day to allow those who lost loved ones to grieve, today should also be a day to ponder what happened... And address what's wrong with our gun policies.

And it didn't even stop there. Closer to home, shots were fired at Excalibur on the Las Vegas Strip mere hours after Newtown. And the following day, someone opened fire (but in this case, was stopped before anyone could be hurt) in an upscale mall in Orange County, California.

And it didn't even stop there. Last weekend, a gunman opened fire and shot dead 4 firefighters in New York City. And this gunman used the same assault rifle that Adam Lanza used when shooting dead 18 children and 8 adults in Newtown, Connecticut.

So there's actually been renewed discussion of better gun safety. Yet unlike previous occasions, this effort may be more sustained. I guess it's just too hard to forget the sight of 18 dead children in an elementary school.

So Harry Reid and other "pro-gun Democrats" suddenly had a change of heart. And President Obama became determined to push gun safety reform in the new Congress. Even here in Nevada, one brave legislator plans to introduce gun safety legislation (including a state assault weapons ban) in Carson City next session.

We'll have to see if this change is truly lasting. But so far, it looks like many people have been spurned to action after a tear of exceptional violence. And really, can we continue like this?

May We Finally Talk About Gun Violence?

Yesterday, I was trying to make sense of what happened. Today, there's still so much that we don't know... No matter how much we're seeing on TV. (Though if you want the latest news along with local perspectives, The Denver Post is a good place to go.)

This will likely be a somber weekend. And really, why shouldn't it be? 12 people are dead, and another 58 have been injured. The entire State of Colorado is in shock now. Well, actually the entire nation is now in shock.

Yet just because we're mourning these losses, should we ignore the serious public policy failings that probably led to this? And can we really be all that surprised that this happened? Bill Moyers and Michael Winship argue at Salon that we shouldn't. And I see where they're coming from.

It's become so easy in most parts of this country (Nevada included) to purchase not just guns, but the very assault weapons that are DESIGNED to kill masses of people. As we've discussed before, it's been easier to buy guns than to access affordable mental health care in most states. There's something seriously wrong with that.

Yesterday, Adam Gopnik wrote a New Yorker blog that just blurted the painfully obvious.

The truth is made worse by the reality that no one—really no one—anywhere on the political spectrum has the courage to speak out about the madness of unleashed guns and what they do to American life. That includes the President, whose consoling message managed to avoid the issue of why these killings take place. Of course, we don’t know, and perhaps never will, what exactly “made him” do what he did; but we know how he did it. Those who fight for the right of every madman and every criminal to have as many people-killing weapons as they want share moral responsibility for what happened last night—as they will when it happens again. And it will happen again. [...]

But nothing changes: the blood lobby still blares out its certainties, including the pretense that the Second Amendment—despite the clear grammar of its first sentence—is designed not to protect citizen militias but to make sure that no lunatic goes unarmed. Make sure that guns designed for no reason save to kill people are freely available to anyone who wants one—and that is, and remains, the essential American condition—and then be shocked when children are killed. For all the good work the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence tries to do, nothing changes. On the last episode of Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom,” Jeff Daniels’s character, in a scene set shortly before the Gabrielle Giffords gun massacre, was thought to display political courage by showing, accurately enough, that it’s a lie to say that Barack Obama is in any way in favor of gun control. This was said in Obama’s defense.

Only in America. Every country has, along with its core civilities and traditions, some kind of inner madness, a belief so irrational that even death and destruction cannot alter it. In Europe not long ago it was the belief that “honor” of the nation was so important that any insult to it had to be avenged by millions of lives. In America, it has been, for so long now, the belief that guns designed to kill people indifferently and in great numbers can be widely available and not have it end with people being killed, indifferently and in great numbers. The argument has gotten dully repetitive: How does one argue with someone convinced that the routine massacre of our children is the price we must pay for our freedom to have guns, or rather to have guns that make us feel free? You can only shake your head and maybe cry a little. “Gun Crazy” is the title of one the best films about the American romance with violence. And gun-crazy we remain.

But really, does it have to be this way? Melissa Harris Perry asked this on MSNBC last night. Isn't this the right time to finally discuss our problem of gun violence and what we can do to lessen it?

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Frankly, I don't think we can afford to keep avoiding this subject. And I don't think it's fair to dismiss all gun safety advocates as "nanny state socialists who want to ban hunting". That's actually not what we're talking about.

Rather, we're asking how logical it is that instruments intended for mass murder are so readily available. And does it make sense that nearly anyone and everyone can access these instruments intended for mass murder? So when will we finally be allowed to have a rational discussion on improving gun safety?