Do the Same

Gordon Martines finished in 7th place last Tuesday. He ran for Clark County Sheriff, and he finished behind 6 other candidates. He clearly failed to advance to the November runoff.

Still, Gordon Martines netted 2,124 votes this month. Those votes came from somewhere.

Over the past week, we've learned that Gordon Martines had 2 fans who would later become infamous. One of them even wore his campaign t-shirt for a TV interview.



Jerad & Amanda Miller were attracted to Martines' radical right, "Patriot Movement" friendly campaign platform. That's also why they were drawn to David VanDerBeek and Cliven Bundy. They were all drawn to the "Patriot Movement" ideology of taking down the federal government however possible...

Except for this one thing. VanDerBeek claims he wants a "nonviolent restoration". And when Martines conducted a background check on Jerad Miller, he uncovered Miller's criminal record. He then asked the Millers to step away from his campaign.

Think about this. Gordon Martines conducted a background check on Jerad Miller before he allowed Jerad & Amanda to become further involved in his campaign. Why wasn't a background check conducted before Jerad & Amanda Miller obtained the weapons they needed for their June 8 shooting spree that ultimately left themselves and 3 innocent people dead?

Oh, yes. That's right. Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NRA) wanted to be "what stood in the way" between us and legislation that could have prevented the June 8 tragedy. Meanwhile in Washington, Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA) & Rep. Joe Heck (R-NRA) only had excuses on hand when asked why they opposed similar background checks legislation in Congress.

But now, those excuses and political calculations can't bring back the 3 innocent people who passed away earlier this month. Universal background checks, however, may help in preventing future senseless tragedies.

Gordon Martines prevented what could have been a horrific political scandal by conducting a background check before proceeding. Why can't we do the same to prevent senseless gun violence? Think about that.

Do Over

Last year, he had been considered the Democrat least likely to vote for any gun safety legislation. But then, Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) eventually backed a very modest background checks package. And the NRA still conspired to kill it.

But now, he's back. He wants to try expanding background checks again. And he's not alone.

After all, Senator Manchin wasn't the only Senate Democrat who evolved on gun violence. So did Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In fact, he went further, way beyond a mere milquetoast background checks compromise. But now, he may be ready to try for those mere milquetoast background checks again.



So what's happened since then? Sunday, for one. Jerad Miller was able to access firearms despite his felony convictions. And now, three innocent people are dead.

What's also happened since then? Well, we've just experienced 74 more school shootings since Newtown. Troutdale just happened to be #74. We don't remember which number Sparks Middle School is.

What else has happened since then? More extremism. More senseless tragedies. More family losses. And even more blood shed.

Now, the only question is: What's changed on Capitol Hill since then? Has Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA) grown a spine yet? Hell, has he sorted out his relationship with Cliven Bundy yet?

We shall find out soon. Last year, Congress put on one of the worst sh*tshows in American history (actually, one of several). Now, they have a chance at a do-over. Will they take it? Or will we have to endure 74 more unnecessary and horrifically bloody tragedies?

Bloody Wakeup Call

Weren't we just talking about this recently? Haven't we been examining the toxic environment the NRA has created? Haven't we been warning about creating a conducive environment for "Second Amendment Remedies"?

Today, we witnessed another bloody wakeup call. This time, it was in Kennesaw, Georgia. Six people were shot and injured. And the suspect shot himself dead.



Before today, Kennesaw was known as the city with the ordinance requiring all residents to own a gun. And only six days ago, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal (R) signed the "Guns Everywhere Bill" into law. This will allow people to carry guns into bars, clubs, libraries, and even houses of worship. The new law also expands Georgia's "Stand Your Ground" doctrine.

Georgia's Governor & legislators were warned of the dangers of passing such legislation. They went ahead and did the gun lobby's bidding.

And of course, Members of Congress were warned of the dangers of failing to fix the scattered & tattered patchwork of background checks systems. Even now, HR 1565 sits in the House and awaits action. But instead, G-O-TEA politicians boast about being "what stood in the way" between our communities and good #GunSense.

Today, we received yet another bloody wakeup call. We just can't ignore & wish gun violence away. And we can't let our elected "leaders" get away with choosing NRA campaign contributions and gun industry profits over people's lives.

This Is @Everytown.

We've heard the talking heads argue over it. We've seen the polling on it. We've survived all the political spin of it. And that's because we know the real facts about it.

And of course, there's something else to keep in mind. While many politicians and media pundits treat gun violence like just another political football, it's very real to those who have personally experienced its very real carnage. For them, gun violence isn't theoretical. It isn't esoteric. It's quite real, and they're reminded of this painful reality every day.





Erica Lafferty is one of these people. She lost her mother last December. Her mother was a principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. She lost her life that fateful day, but Erica won't let her mother's legacy be forgotten. And she doesn't want others to meet the same fate her mother did.

This is why she showed up at the Grant Sawyer State Building yesterday. Is isn't just about Newtown. This happens at Everytown.



Newtown wasn't the last school shooting, far from it. Right here in Nevada, shots were fired at Sparks Middle School. And 8th grade math teacher Michael Landsberry lost his life that day. The Sparks Middle School Shooting was a horrific reminder that Sparks is @Everytown.

Of course, Las Vegas is also Everytown. On the same day Michael Landsberry lost his life while trying to protect others at Sparks Middle School, Kenneth Brown lost his life while trying to protect others at Ballys Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Also on the same day, two people were shot dead at an apartment complex in East Las Vegas.

This is why Teresa Crawford became a Champion of Change. And this is why showed up at Grant Sawyer yesterday. Far too many people here in Nevada suffered due to gun violence. This doesn't just happen "somewhere else". This happens in Everytown.



This is Everytown. #WeAreEverytown. Throughout Nevada, we've seen people lose their lives to senseless gun violence. But whenever we've had a chance to change this sorrowful reality, all we hear are the same old tired excuses.

We've heard so many speeches from politicians and spin from "industry" promoters over the years that we lost count about a year ago. No matter what Rep. Joe Heck (R-NRA) has said about theoretical legislation and philosophy of process, there's a real bill waiting for his cosponsorship. No matter what Senator Dean Heller (R) says about "legislation he supported recently", he can't hide his filibuster of basic background checks legislation. And no matter what Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NRA) says about theoretical "threats to liberty", he can't spin away the fact that he was what stood in the way of Nevada taking even modest action on gun violence prevention when Congress wouldn't act on federal legislation.

No matter what they and other gun lobby backed politicians say about theories and concepts and philosophy, they can't change reality. Every town has had to grapple with gun violence. Every town knows someone who's lost loved ones to gun violence. And every town deserves a better future without worrying about becoming another headline grabbing armed battlefield.

This is @Everytown. And this is why we can't ignore the reality of gun violence.

Bloody Juice

We just saw another one unfold. It's easy to lose count of how many we've witnessed in the past few years. However, it's never easy to witness such a brutal and cruel loss of innocent lives.

This time, it happened at Fort Hood, Texas... Again. On November 5, 2009, Major Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood. He killed 13 people and wounded at least 30 others.



On April 2, 2014, Ivan Lopez opened fire at Fort Hood. He killed 3 people and wounded 16 others before shooting himself dead. Lopez was under evaluation for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) just before he picked up his .45 caliber pistol and opened fire.

Once again, we're reminded of the serious public health, national security, and civil rights threats posed by unfettered gun violence. And once again, we're left wondering why this keeps happening. Once again, we're left wondering why we haven't taken more action to curb this senseless loss of lives.

Ironically enough, The White House had scheduled a "Champions of Change" event today to honor those who have been working hard on gun violence prevention. One of those honored today was Nevada's own Teresa Crawford. The event went on as planned this morning, but it certainly had a more somber tone in light of yesterday's tragic event at Fort Hood.

It also felt (even) more poignant. Think about it. Fort Hood has just endured another mass shooting. The perpetrator had mental health struggles. And yet, he successfully accessed and discharged a .45 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol. How could this happen again? And why are we letting this happen over & over again?



At today's event, Teresa discussed the campaign gun violence prevention activists have used to hold politicians like Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA), Rep. Joe Heck (R-NRA), and Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NRA) accountable for serving as "what stood in the way" between us and better gun safety standards. She and the other panelists shared stories of their own experience with gun violence, and how they've been able to turn their stories of tragedy into opportunities to build community and work on positive action to improve their communities. And yes, they also shared stories of how they're still working to overcome the immense political juice the NRA & gun industry still hold locally & nationally.

What we're now realizing is that the juice the NRA & gun industry produce is a rather bloody juice. They keep peddling fantasies of deregulation heaven. Yet when we follow their orders, we only end up with hell is nightmares. Something must change. We can't afford to continue drinking this bloody juice.

What's Already on the Table

Clearly, there was plenty of action and plenty of heated conversation last night at Rep. Joe Heck's Green Valley High School town hall. The constituents who attended had plenty of questions on a number of issues.

And yes, a(nother) familiar issue came to the forefront at Green Valley High School. It's the same one that Rep. Heck said he supported one year ago. And it's the same one he claimed he was working on last August. Yet for all his talk on expanding background checks for gun purchases, he's yet to produce any meaningful action. (Sound familiar yet?)

That's why NV-03 constituent Sheila Shinno put him on the spot last night. She asked Rep. Heck why he doesn't support the bipartisan backed HR 1565 while claiming he wants to expand background checks.



Just as he did at the August town hall in Summerlin, Rep. Heck claimed he has problems with certain provisions of HR 1565. He also claimed he talked with the bill's original sponsors about a specific proposal regarding a "web portal", just as he did in August. But this time, another constituent took issue with Heck's claims.

NV-03 constituent & super activist Teresa Crawford did her homework last August when Rep. Heck talked about his objections to HR 1565. She specifically looked for more information about his "web portal" proposal". And she could find nothing. So she mentioned that last night.



She also came prepared with the facts on gun violence. Indeed, Missouri's repeal of background checks was followed by a rising murder rate in that state. And indeed, Nevada (which has nothing close to universal background checks) is the 9th deadliest state for gun violence. And there's plenty more evidence indicating that background checks work (and conversely, the loophole plagued status quo does not). So what's Rep. Heck waiting for?

Last night, he said he wants a "more holistic approach". And what would that entail? An assault weapons ban? Limits on magazine capacity? Better guidelines for safe gun storage? Better mental health care? If that's the case, then hallelujah! Go ahead and...

Oh, wait. He didn't mention any of that last night, other than some passive references to mental health care and gun storage. And even then, he couldn't point to any legislation to increase mental health care funding (he's actually done the opposite by trying to repeal Obamacare) or improve gun storage standards.

And that brings us back to HR 1565 & the issue of background checks. While it's a rather modest effort to reduce gun violence, it's a badly needed first step. And Rep. Heck has repeatedly said he supports expanding background checks. So why not push forward the bill that's already on the table?

HR 1565 is already on the table. The policy it covers enjoys widespread popular support, and it can make a real difference in saving lives. We've already waited far too long for this. Why should we wait even longer for phantom legislation that never seems to materialize in real life. Why not just take what's already on the table and run with it?

Bloody Consequences

It's happening again. It's like clockwork. It goes on and on. And Senator Harry Reid (D) once again had to deliver the predictable bad news today.

.@SenatorReid on gun safety bill: "I would love to bring it back up. But I can't do it until I have the votes."

And he won't have the votes until more politicians on Capitol Hill develop the courage to kick their NRA habit. So what else is new?

Sadly, another shooting is. This time, it was at a mall in Northern New Jersey.

People forced to take cover inside the mall posted to Twitter throughout the night as they waited to be evacuated. One woman, Kathryn Jean Lopez, posted: “Folks are nervous in here please just say a prayer. ... There is screaming.” She posted a dark photo from inside the Nordstrom store showing several people seated on the floor checking their phones.

Jonathan Astacio, a manager at the Brookstone store at the mall, said he heard what sounded like four gunshots near the store around 9:20 p.m. Mr. Astacio said he saw police officers searching the mall.

He and other employees at the store moved into a back stockroom, he said.

Alexa Tom, 28, a sales associate who works at Neiman Marcus in the mall, said that she saw security guards running through the store locking down all the doors after 9 p.m. The store’s security team brought the more than 50 people left in the store to the first-floor shoe department, where they stayed for about an hour.

Fortunately, no one was injured this time... Except for the shooter himself, Richard Shoop. This was his planned suicide. And he apparently wanted a host of witnesses to it.

At least no one else was hurt... This time. But as we know all too well these days, that isn't always the case. Just don't try explaining that to G-O-TEA icon Ron Paul. He thinks this is all about "freedom".

“Jefferson obviously was a clear leader on the principle of nullification,” the former Texas congressman said of the third president. “I’ve been working on the assumption that nullification is going to come. It’s going to be a de facto nullification. It’s ugly, but pretty soon things are going to get so bad that we’re just going to ignore the feds and live our own lives in our own states.” [...]

...He stressed that the constitutional “right to keep and bear arms” was not for hunting, but to allow rebellion against tyrannical governments. “The Second Amendment was not there so you could shoot rabbits,” he said. “Right now today, we have a great threat to our liberties internally.”

Ron Paul said this at a campaign rally for Virginia G-O-TEA Gubernatorial Candidate Ken Cuccinelli... But he might as well have said it on the stage with his ideological soulmate, Sharron Angle. After all, they share the same affinity for "Second Amendment Remedies". And they both fail to see the bloody real world consequences of their dangerous rhetoric and equally dangerous policy prescriptions.

Every so often, Senator Dean Heller (R-NRA) and Rep. Joe Heck (R-NRA) will say something about the need to do something about gun violence. Yet when push comes to shove, they vote the NRA-Sharron Angle-Ron Paul party line. And in turn, Harry Reid doesn't have the votes to pass anything. And we all continue to live with the bloody consequences of inaction.

Can't Ignore It Forever

Last night, several constituents asked Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) about gun violence. And while he (again) endorsed expanding background checks in theory, he wouldn't specifically support HR 1565. So today, a number of constituents gathered at Pebble Park (which is right across the street from his district office) to ask him to reconsider.





And that's not all. A couple of state legislators also appeared. State Senator Justin Jones (D-Enterprise) recounted his own experience with gun safety. And he explained why Rep. Heck should care as well.



Bob Cavazos also spoke today. He's a local gun owner. He even used to belong to the NRA. But now, he's calling on Rep. Heck to stop taking orders from the NRA and start paying more attention to his constituents.



Linda Turner spoke up as well. In March, she was surprised to learn she would have no more appointments with her dentist. The dentist's abusive ex-husband had shot her dead before committing suicide.



These are real stories from real Nevadans. Oh, and the vast majority of the people who showed up today live in NV-03. They were asking their Member of Congress to support bipartisan legislation that the broad majority of voters in this district support.





So will Rep. Heck pay attention? Will he listen to the broad majority of voters in his own district? He can't ignore this forever.

Fishing for a Diversion?

For some time, many here in Southern Nevada have been looking for answers from Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) on HR 1565 and gun safety overall. At a town hall meeting in the Southwest Vegas Valley last night, some started to surface. At Victoria Fertitta Middle School's gymnasium, Rep. Heck took several questions on a variety of issues.





A few of them involved gun violence. Janice C specifically asked about HR 1565. Rep. Heck took the opportunity to reiterate general support for expanded background checks, but he wouldn't endorse HR 1565.



Rep. Heck said there were parts of the bill he couldn't support. He also said he's talked to the sponsors of HR 1565 about possible amendments.

That wasn't enough for the brother of Michael Boldon, the cab driver killed in February's Las Vegas Strip Shooting. While he complimented Rep. Heck, he also asked when he will finally lead the way on gun safety. Here's how Rep. Heck responded to him.



This week, gun violence is again making headline news. And again, the nation is facing serious questions about this matter. Yet even with over 180 cosponsors, a simple, bipartisan background checks bill can't make it to the House floor. And it seems like Rep. Joe Heck is trying to avoid taking a specific stand on this specific issue.

But ironically enough, Rep. Heck had no trouble taking a specific stand on the long ago debunked conspiracy theories surrounding last fall's attack on a US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. And not only that, but he wants Congress to waste even more time on G-O-TEA fishing expeditions scandal-mania! Oh, yes. That's right. He went there.



There are many issues facing Nevada and the nation that need Congressional action. Gun violence is one of them. G-O-TEA conspiracy theories are not.

I guess Rep. Heck doesn't want to see why Congressional approval has fallen so low this year.

Just a Reminder

As this month began, we looked at what (little) the 113th Congress has accomplished going into August Recess. As the month has gone on, constituents have been letting their Members of Congress know what they think of what's on the agenda on Capitol Hill. And locally, some have done even more.

On Saturday, local OFA volunteers stood outside the Henderson DMV to collect signatures for a petition to Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) to support HR 1565, the bipartisan background checks bill. It's been out for some time, yet Rep. Heck has not taken a position on it. And what makes this even more awkward is that Rep. Heck himself endorsed the content of this bill just six months ago.








This is why OFA volunteers were gathering petition signatures Saturday. This is why over 100 people signed... Just that morning. And this is what Rep. Heck will be reminded of before he returns to DC next month.

This policy has broad, bipartisan support. It's now in Congress' hands. And it's truly the least Congress can do on gun violence prevention.

Sometimes, they have to be reminded... Even of the most basic things.

Can't He At Least Do That?

Back in February, gun violence looked to be on top of the national agenda as communities across the nation were reeling from massacres and constant shootings. Back then, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) held a town hall in Old Henderson and fielded many questions on gun safety. He refused to consider measures that most Nevadans support, like a new ban on military grade assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

However even in declaring this, Rep. Heck left the door open to other policy solutions. Specifically, he endorsed expansion of background checks for gun purchases. And at least for that moment, it appeared as if Congress could actually accomplish something.

Of course, we remember what happened in April. Yet despite this, HR 1565 remains. It does exactly what Rep. Heck promised to support (expanding background checks for gun purchases). It was introduced by a fellow Republican (Peter King [R-New York]). And it now has 184 co-sponsors, including both of the other Southern Nevada Representatives (Dina Titus [D-Paradise] and Steven Horsford [D-North Las Vegas]).

So why hasn't Rep. Heck taken action yet? That's what local OFA volunteers were asking. They also called fellow Nevadans and asked them to call Rep. Heck about HR 1565 and gun safety.





Even though we haven't seen a major massacre making national headlines recently, that doesn't mean gun violence is no longer a serious problem. Ask Jill Schaller and the Reno Police Department about that. And for that matter, ask the many communities around the state and across the nation about the daily gun violence tragedies they witness.







Congress has the ability to do something. Rep. Joe Heck has the ability to do something. And his House Republican colleagues have the ability to do something.

They can start by passing HR 1565. The least they can do is expand background checks to prevent dangerous criminals from getting their hands on dangerous weapons. Can't they at least do that?