Let the chips fall, senator

The rocky road for state legislators to vote on having concealed weapons on Nevada’s college campuses has hit a roadblock again as Senate Judiciary Chairman Greg Brower is taking a trick out of the Democrat’s playbook from the past two legislative sessions.

In April, the Nevada Assembly approved AB148, which allows holders of concealed carry weapons permits (CCW) to bring their firearm onto Nevada state university and community college campuses in order to protect themselves from criminals.

Nineteen members of the Assembly and two state senators sponsored the bill.

Las Vegas Republican Assemblywoman Michelle Fiore has championed this cause on behalf of Amanda Collins, a former University of Nevada, Reno, student and CCW holder who was raped on campus in 2007.

University policy prohibited Collins and others from carrying firearms at the time.

In an editorial earlier this year, the LVN revisited this issue.

“Discussion to allow concealed weapons on college campuses never emerged out of the Democrat-controlled Assembly Committee on Judiciary in 2011 and 2013.

“The 2013 hearing was a sham when liberal-leaning Committee Chairman Jason Frierson of Las Vegas did not allow members to vote on the bill even though he had the necessary votes to move it out of committee.”

It appears that Brower will not hold a hearing on AB148 because he claims there may not be enough votes to send it out of committee to the full Senate.

Said Fiore, “This is strange to me because in 2011 Senator Brower had no problem voting in favor of campus carry bill, SB231.”

It is Brower’s duty as a committee chairman to see where the votes fall on this highly emotional bill, which, by the way, is strongly opposed by the Nevada System of Higher Education.

We hope Bowers is not swayed by the NSHE and has the guts to be his own man in moving forward on AB148.

We’ll repeat our words from 2013: “We are not promoting passage or defeat; rather, on such a controversial bill such as this, the committee members have the right to cast a vote, and if the measure either lives for another day or dies on the committee floor, at least lawmakers had their say, and constituents know where their elected officials stand.”

Friedman lacked the guts to bring it to a vote. In general terms, is something missing from Brower’s resolve to have a hearing on this bill before Friday?

Brower has not only disappointed those who fought hard in the Assembly to pass this bill but he is also assuming, rather verifying, the votes are not there. Let the chips fall, Sen. Brower. Have a hearing.

LVN Editorials written by the Editorial Board appear on Wednesdays.