CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT The VFW was packed Thursday evening with Pahrump residents opposed to Commissioner Peter Liakopoulos' proposed ban on firearms at public meetings at the Bob Ruud Community Center. Advertisement

It was standing room only at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10054 Thursday, as residents opposed to a proposed ban on guns packed in shoulder to shoulder to protect their right to bear arms.

People at the meeting were given copies of a petition opposing the ban and asked to acquire as many signatures as possible by the end of the month so the petition could be presented to the commissioners at their June meeting.

The gun ban would forbid people to enter the community center during commissioner, town board, and regional planning commission meetings.

The ban was first proposed by Nye County Commissioner Peter Liakopoulos, after he engaged in a heated confrontation with long-time Pahrump resident Sam Jones at a county commission meeting in May.

Jones, who was carrying a side arm at that meeting, was ejected by deputies and later filed a citizen citation for battery against Liakopoulos, who he claimed "belly-bumped" him.

The meeting at the VFW was organized by Tanya Metaksa, a former Washington lobbyist for the National Rifle Association.

She estimated the room was filled with more than a hundred residents, many with weapons strapped to their sides and holding bumper stickers that read, "My gun protects your freedom."

"I'm here to stand for a principle," Metaksa told the large crowd. "We're not telling the commissioners what to do, we're asking the commissioners not to do something."

Jones then addressed the crowd, reiterating his version of the confrontation with Liakopoulos.

"I'm not backing down," Jones said. "If you have an issue with a private citizen, then take it up with him ... don't turn it into a gun issue."

He added that banning guns at public meetings was "not for your safety, it's for their safety."

The meeting was also held in response to a petition allegedly being circulated by Liakopoulos, although the two commissioners who were at the meeting, Butch Borasky and Gary Hollis, both said they were unable to find that petition.

"Personally, I don't wear a gun and I don't plan to have one when I'm up on the stage at a meeting," Borasky told the crowd. "But I don't think there's going to be a ban on guns anytime soon."

Hollis echoed Borasky when he took his turn to address the crowd, reminding them that he always earned an "A" on his voting record with NRA and wasn't about to change that anytime soon.

Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo reminded the crowd that their right to bear arms was protected by the state constitution as well as the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

"You have to be careful about which of your rights are getting trod upon," DeMeo told the crowd.

As an example, DeMeo pointed out that people from California driving through Pahrump often call the sheriff's office to report Ray "the Flagman" Mallow, who carries side arms while waving his flag on Highways 160 and 372.

"They're not used to that in California because they don't have that right like we do," DeMeo said.

The sheriff, as did Jones and commissioner Gary Hollis, alluded to the shootings at Virginia Tech, pointing out that even if guns were banned there, "it was a killing ground."

"As a peace officer we have to be realistic about things," DeMeo said. "If (a gunman) wants you, they will get you."

The sheriff also reminded the impassioned crowd that the right to bear arms served a very specific purpose.

"A gun is there for one reason, for self-protection or to protect the life of another," DeMeo stressed. "After that, it becomes assault with a deadly weapon."

One person in the crowd asked the sheriff how the policy of not allowing firearms in the sheriff's office was any different from not allowing guns into public meetings.

"There are victims of crimes that give statements in the office, and it's also a high-target area for someone to make a point," DeMeo responded.

Metaksa then handed out petition forms and urged the attendees to garner as many signatures as possible.

The gathered signatures can be turned in at Bail Lady Bail Bonds on Basin and Highway 160 in Suite G, or at the Town Office. For more information on the effort to oppose the gun, residents can call Metaksa at 727-4570.