Nye County Commissioner Peter Liakopoulos wants a little more security for public meetings at the Bob Ruud Community Center, following an incident after the last county commission meeting when a man carrying a gun engaged in a heated argument with him.

The incident resulted in a citizen citation for battery filed by Sam Jones, 54, who claimed he was bumped by Liakopoulos, 51, who was the only commissioner who didn't make the trip to Tonopah but participated in the meeting by video-conference.

The complaint alleges Liakopoulos "came fast down the steps and bumped me hard and then got in my face. I told him to get out of my face and he bumped me again."

Jones, who said he was a 17-year Pahrump resident, began a statement under public comment at the commission meeting by quoting President Lincoln, "When men of freedom start to enact laws, they lose their freedom."

He then accused Liakopoulous of lying during his campaign by claiming he was a liaison to the governor of Illinois.

"I just came back from the state of Illinois, from Springfield, Ill., and no one seems to know you there, sir, in the government whatsoever, and I went back through the Jim Thompson era, who was governor for 12 years," Jones charged.

Liakopoulos said afterward he ran for the Illinois state senate in 1986 under the abbreviated name of Peter Liaka and lost.

Nye County Commissioner Joni Eastley, who was the acting chairman in the absence of Gary Hollis, reminded Jones the public is free to speak unless their comments are personally offensive. Nye County Attorney Ron Kent added the rules of operation forbid comments that are disruptive to the meeting.

Jones was cut off and the commission meeting then adjourned before Liakopoulos could officially respond to Jones' accusations from the dias. When he walked down to talk with Jones after adjournment, Liakopoulos admitted, "apparently I belly-butted him."

Jones was followed out the door by two Nye County sheriff's deputies who quickly arrived on the scene. Jones was told outside he was being ejected from the meeting. Liakopoulos then exited the community center.

"There's always a concern when you have somebody with a gun," Liakopoulos said. "You should have an armed patrolman. You should have a sheriff's deputy at all those meetings."

Liakopoulos said that would include meetings of the Nye County Commission, Pahrump town board and Pahrump Regional Planning Commission.

Liakopoulos added he has been a lifelong supporter of the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms. But he suggested commissioners look at instituting a ban on carrying guns into the Bob Ruud Community Center when those meetings are in progress.

"You can't even get through the door with a gun getting into the government center in Clark County. I don't know anywhere else that allows people to walk around with firearms on their sides," Liakopoulos said. "I'm very much pro-gun, but this is not practicing the Second Amendment, this is an abuse of the Second Amendment, and I do believe we're going to have an incident that is going to get out of hand ... These people that come into the meeting with their guns are a very, very, small minority and I think its wrong."

Liakopoulos said audience members remarked they never saw anyone get that aggressive at a meeting. He predicted, however, "It's only going to get worse because right now nothing's happening to these people.

"You don't let an individual come up and abuse one of your members and one of your staff," Liakopoulos said.

Since the change in composition of the county commission following the Nov. 7 election, Pahrump commissioners have been traveling up to Tonopah for the first meeting of the month, leaving Pahrump residents to view all their commissioners by video-conference. Liakopoulos stayed behind this time for convenience after an evening meeting in Pahrump.

There have been a few instances in recent years where citizens have been escorted from meetings for getting out of hand.

"I have public safety concerns. Somebody's going to get shot at one of these meetings because nobody's doing anything to curb these meetings. Nobody's doing anything to control these meetings," Liakopoulos said.