{"id":41935,"date":"2013-06-14T18:57:22","date_gmt":"2013-06-14T17:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/breaking-news\/despite-big-bloomberg-money-veto-protects-gun-rights-in-nevada\/41935\/"},"modified":"2013-06-14T18:57:22","modified_gmt":"2013-06-14T17:57:22","slug":"despite-big-bloomberg-money-veto-protects-gun-rights-in-nevada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/breaking-news\/despite-big-bloomberg-money-veto-protects-gun-rights-in-nevada\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite Big Bloomberg Money, Veto Protects Gun Rights in Nevada"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite a massive influx of funds from billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an anti-gun extremist using his fortune to bankroll nationwide attacks on the Second Amendment, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (shown) vetoed<\/a> legislation on Thursday that would have mandated \u201cuniversal background checks\u201d on gun purchases. Gun-rights activists successfully mobilized to stop the bill, inundating the Republican governor\u2019s office with phone calls asking him to veto it.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The defeat of the controversial legislation was viewed as a major development with implications that extend far beyond Nevada\u2019s borders. Gun-rights supporters celebrated the veto, saying it showed that out-of-touch billionaires and their bogus polls<\/a> were losing the nationwide battle to strip Americans\u2019 God-given right to keep and bear arms. Anti-gun zealots, meanwhile, howled about the embarrassing defeat and vowed to press forward with their attack on the Second Amendment. <\/p>\n

If the S.B. 221 legislation had been signed into law, all firearm purchases would have to be approved by authorities, essentially making firearm ownership a revocable privilege rather than a constitutionally guaranteed right. Even more alarming to critics were the potential abuses of the background check system to compile records of all gun owners and create a database<\/a> \u2013 historically a precursor to confiscation. Officials continue to claim that records of the check are promptly destroyed in accordance with the law, but experts are not buying it. <\/p>\n

“The instant background check is gun registration,\u201d Gun Owners of America<\/a> chief Larry Pratt told The New American<\/em>, adding that it was crucial for citizens to continue fighting back against efforts to infringe on the Second Amendment. \u201cThe government will not answer when we ask how they are destroying the names and addresses, as required by law, of those that have been checked. They just don’t respond; ‘so sue us’ is kind of the attitude that they have.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The controversial bill would have also turned mental-health workers into mandated government informants by requiring them to report patients who may be a threat to themselves or others. Among other major concerns, analysts contend that as soon as a lawsuit is filed against a psychiatrist for failing to report a patient who later did something wrong, the norm will become reporting virtually everyone who seeks therapy.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Critics of such mental-health provisions come from all across the political spectrum<\/a>. Among them: psychiatrists and others who warn that people in need of assistance would be less likely to seek it if they could lose their gun rights; advocates of patient confidentiality; experts concerned about Big Psychiatry\u2019s increasingly outlandish claims <\/a>that almost every sort of human behavior should be labeled a \u201cmental illness;\u201d and more. <\/p>\n

Already, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the psychiatric industry claim<\/a> that some 50 percent of Americans will suffer from mental disorders, an allegation blasted as ludicrous by credible psychiatrists. The potential for abusing \u201cmental health\u201d diagnoses to restrict individual rights is enormous, experts say<\/a>, citing mountains of data. <\/p>\n

In a statement<\/a>, Gov. Sandoval outlined his reasons for vetoing the legislation. While expressing support for many of the bill\u2019s goals, the governor said the background check provisions would \u201cconstitute an erosion of Nevadans Second Amendment rights under the United States Constitution.\u201d It could also subject otherwise law-abiding citizens to prosecution, he added.<\/p>\n

Law enforcement leaders in the state agreed with the governor\u2019s analysis and requested a veto. According to the Nevada Sheriffs\u2019 and Chiefs\u2019 Association, the mandatory background check provisions on private sales \u201cplace an unreasonable burden on law-abiding citizens, with the potential to make them criminals.\u201d The association also said the scheme would be \u201cunenforceable\u201d by law enforcement and would \u201cdo little to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Another problem with the legislation, Gov. Sandoval continued, was a change in state law that would shift the burden of proof in prosecutions of people who sell firearms. Current law makes it a crime to transfer firearms if there is \u201cactual knowledge\u201d that the buyer is a \u201cprohibited person.\u201d If the bill had become law, sellers would be prosecuted just for having \u201creasonable cause to believe\u201d \u2013 a radical change that the governor noted could subject law-abiding Nevadans to criminal prosecution. <\/p>\n

As such, after receiving at least tens of thousands of calls from citizens seeking a veto, the governor decided not to support the controversial legislation. \u201cSenate Bill 221, while laudable in its efforts to strengthen reporting requirements concerning mentally ill persons, imposes unreasonable burdens and harsh penalties upon law-abiding Nevadans, while doing little to prevent criminals from unlawfully obtaining firearms,\u201d he said in the veto statement.<\/p>\n

Gun rights activists who helped rally opposition to the bill promptly celebrated the victory, but warned that the nationwide battle to preserve the Second Amendment was far from over. Gun Owners of America, widely considered the most principled gun-rights organization, pointed out that citizens made the difference \u2013 defeating big money from out-of-state Astroturf groups like Bloomberg\u2019s \u201cMayors Against Illegal Guns,\u201d which spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on its effort in Nevada.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\u201cDespite Bloomberg\u2019s fortune, his anti-gun MAIG simply doesn\u2019t have the grassroots behind it,\u201d noted Gun Owners of America in an e-mail blast to supporters announcing the victory. \u201cThe Governor was inclined to veto the gun control bill all along, but gun owners can be sure that \u2013 had the poll results gone the other way \u2013 he could have been easily persuaded to bow to Bloomberg\u2019s pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The implications of the veto extend far beyond Nevada, however. \u201cNevada is a key state as it is home to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) and to \u2018swing vote\u2019 Senator Dean Heller (R),\u201d GOA continued. \u201cDefeating Universal Background Checks in the Silver State \u2013 with overwhelming numbers of callers opposing it \u2013 sends a powerful message from a Purple State, that Americans do NOT want additional gun control!\u201d<\/p>\n

As has become typical in the ongoing assault on gun rights, anti-Second Amendment forces were quick to trot out easily debunked polls<\/a> claiming that \u201c90 percent\u201d of Americans support schemes to require government permission before a person can exercise his or her unalienable rights. Bloomberg and his gun-control group, which has numerous mayoral members embroiled in outrageous scandals<\/a>, were particularly furious about the victory for gun rights. <\/p>\n

“Rather than sign sensible legislation that keeps guns out of the hands of convicted felons and the mentally ill, Governor Sandoval has decided to preserve the loopholes that they use to buy guns,” whined Bloomberg in a press release<\/a>, citing bogus statistics and polls <\/a>to support his extremist views. “The state legislature and 86 percent of Nevadans support comprehensive background checks, but this veto means that criminals and the dangerously mentally ill will continue to get a free pass in Nevada.”<\/p>\n

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a key figure in the crusade to further restrict gun rights who spoke with Gov. Sandoval about the bill, was upset as well. \u201cI am deeply disappointed in Gov. Sandoval\u2019s decision to veto this bill,\u201d he was quoted as saying<\/a> in the Washington Post<\/em>. \u201cPeople convicted of a felony or suffering from a severe mental illness should be prevented from buying a gun with a simple background check.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

While states like Colorado, New York, and Connecticut have passed statutes infringing on the right to keep and bear arms in recent months, others have gone in the opposite direction, with some expanding gun rights and a few even nullifying unconstitutional federal gun control rules. Kansas, as one recent example, passed nullification legislation <\/a>earlier this year making it a crime for federal agents to enforce certain unconstitutional restrictions on gun rights within the state. Meanwhile, South Dakota passed a law <\/a>allowing teachers to carry firearms at school. <\/p>\n

However, as The New American<\/em> has been reporting for months, President Obama and his anti-Second Amendment allies are quietly working to foist more restrictions on America through \u201cexecutive actions.\u201d<\/a> Recent news reports also suggest that anti-gun members of Congress are preparing for another showdown <\/a>after their embarrassing Senate defeat <\/a>in April. If gun rights are to survive in the long term, analysts say, Second Amendment proponents will have to stay on high alert.<\/p>\n

Photo of Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval: AP Images<\/em><\/sup><\/p>\n

Alex Newman is a correspondent for <\/em>The New American, covering economics, politics, and more. He can be reached at
\n This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
\n .<\/em><\/p>\n

Related articles:<\/p>\n

Obama Pursues Gun Control via Executive Action After Senate Blow <\/a><\/p>\n

Background Checks Open Door to National Gun Registry <\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMental Illness\u201d Diagnoses Are the Slippery Slope to Gun Confiscation<\/a><\/p>\n

After Crushing Defeat, Obama and Gun Grabbers to Revive Effort<\/a><\/p>\n

Why is the Federal Government Disarming Veterans?<\/a><\/p>\n

Critics Blast Big Psychiatry for Invented and Redefined Mental Illnesses<\/a><\/p>\n

Blasted as Whitewash, Fast and Furious Report Blames ATF and DOJ <\/a><\/p>\n

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Obama Unveils Assault on Gun Rights <\/a><\/p>\n

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The Real Reason Gun Control Failed <\/a><\/p>\n

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Facing Firm Opposition, Obama Renews Assault on Gun Rights <\/a><\/p>\n

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This article originally appeared on: The New American<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite a massive influx of funds from billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an anti-gun extremist using his fortune to bankroll nationwide attacks on the Second Amendment, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (shown) vetoed legislation on Thursday that would have mandated \u201cuniversal background checks\u201d on gun purchases. Gun-rights activists successfully mobilized to stop the bill, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[487],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-41935","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-breaking-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41935\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}