Push-back

On Tuesday, the Assembly held a very heated and emotionally charged hearing on SB 221. Within hours of that hearing, Senator Michael Roberson (R-Henderson) dropped SB 520. It's supposed to be the Republican answer to Senator Justin Jones' (D-Enterprise) background checks bill. And of course, SB 520 doesn't expand background checks for gun purchases (while SB 221 does).

Funny enough, neither Senator Roberson nor Governor Brian Sandoval (R) wants to discuss the details of SB 520. And of course, they don't want to explain why they want to kill SB 221. And this is why the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Demand Action campaign is taking to TV airwaves.



The Nevada Republican Party has joined with the NRA and various "tea party" groups to kill SB 221. And of course, Governor Sandoval and Senator Roberson are deferring to them over the 86% of Nevadans who want expanded background checks.

So now, they're getting push-back. And that's not all. We'll also see a very important arrival in Carson City tomorrow.

RalstonReports: Just got robocall from Mark Kelly, who will be in Carson City on Friday to push gun control bill, telling me to call my assemblyman. #nvleg

Remember Mark Kelly?



Get ready for some serious push-back this weekend.

Cut & Run

Yesterday, the Nevada Legislature witnessed another heart-wrenching round of testimony on SB 221, Senator Justin Jones' (D-Enterprise) background checks gun safety bill. But then, all of a sudden, Senator Michael Roberson (R-Henderson) dropped SB 520 just minutes after the SB 221 hearing concluded. He and Governor Brian Sandoval (R) were hoping to create the appearance of "doing something on gun safety" while actually killing SB 221 in a politically palatable way. Last night, Jon Ralston recapped all the action on his show.



So what happened? The Las Vegas Sun's Andrew Doughman has more 411 on what went down.

Jones introduced his bill on the fourth day of the 120-day legislative session and has been talking to the governor’s office about the bill during the past months. But talks stalled last week with the governor opposing mandatory private party background checks and Jones unwilling to strike what he called the “key” point of the bill.

Jones was displeased with Roberson for introducing the bill on the 114th day of the legislative session.

“It’s politically craven for Sen. Roberson to decide on day 114 that he suddenly cares,” Jones said.

Roberson had earlier offered an amendment to Jones’ bill that was nearly identical to SB 520. That effort failed on a party line vote.

While representatives from the governor’s office said Jones has been “extremely cooperative and forthcoming,” Sandoval was “having a lot of difficulty” with agreeing to the background check provisions of Jones’ bill, said Gerald Gardner, Sandoval’s chief of staff. [...]

“There is currently no plan to hear Roberson’s bill,” said Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee to which the Senate referred Roberson’s bill.

And we've already been going into detail on why this is happening. Again, it comes down to petty politics. Never mind that 86% of Nevadans demand universal background checks on firearms purchases. And never mind that the current loophole infested system allows for dangerous criminals and the severely mentally ill to access firearms. Because the NRA refuses to accept any real gun safety reform, Governor Sandoval won't let it pass. Instead, he and Senator Roberson are pursuing their own sham bill.

They just don't want us to recognize their sham bill for what it truly is. Why else would the typically loquacious Senator Roberson cut and run from a KSNV/News 3 reporter?



Need I say more?

The Buck Stops There ( @GovSandoval's Office, That Is).

Wow. That was fast. Just this morning, we witnessed the Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing for SB 221, Senator Justin Jones' (D-Enterprise) gun safety bill. And not too long after the hearing, some Carson City gossip hounds and pot stirrers were already declaring the bill "dead on arrival". It also didn't help that Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NRA) began hinting at "The V Word".

Then, all of a sudden, we saw this.

.@GovSandoval on GOP gun alternative: "I want to commend Senator Roberson for his attention to this important issue..." #nvleg #choreography

Remember when Senator Michael Roberson (R-NRA) pulled this stunt last week?

We even saw poison pill amendments, including one from Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson making the background checks provision voluntary instead of mandatory. Ummm, hello... Will anyone trying to purchase firearms and ammunition for nefarious, criminal purposes voluntarily submit to a background check? File that in the "Totally Defeats the Purpose" Department.

What was once Senator Roberson's proposed poison pill amendment to SB 221 now has its own bill number: SB 520. And seriously, Senator Roberson and Governor Sandoval may be inhaling a bit too much 420 (without even waiting to pass SB 374 into law!) if they think this act of political convenience can magically make Nevada's gun violence problems go away.

Funny enough, several of the 21st Century Know Nothings who testified against SB 221 this morning railed against the mental health portion of the bill along with the universal background checks provision. And that's not the first time this has occurred. (Thanks for the reminder, Senator Debbie Smith [D-Sparks].) Yet all of a sudden, Senator Roberson and Governor Sandoval are champions of better mental health care? I wonder what James Flavy Coy Brown, Monica, and/or any other mental health patient dumping victims have to say about that!

We all know what this is truly about: Governor Sandoval wants to remain in the gun lobby's good graces, yet he also wants the appearance of "doing something on gun safety". So all of a sudden, his "new old BFF" Senator Roberson has all too conveniently dropped SB 520 at the very last minute. Governor Sandoval can (once again) have his political cake and eat it, too!

Or can he? Senator Jones refuses to let his bill go down without a fight.

.@Jones4Nevada says he won't strip out background checks provision to get bill passed. Says leadership in Assem. will move it. #nvleg

And as long as the Assembly passes SB 221 within the next six days, the bill will still reach Governor Sandoval's desk. And ultimately, the buck will stop with him. So is there any wonder as to why he and Senator Roberson are desperately trying to pass the buck now? And would they really be doing this if they didn't believe 86% of Nevadans support Senator Jones' bill?