Posted on 04/03/2008 7:35:06 AM PDT by SmithL
NASHVILLE - House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh has once again used his powerful post to kill gun legislation in the General Assembly.
Naifeh, with the help of a brand new member of the Legislature, on Wednesday helped override an earlier subcommittee vote in favor of a bill that would close handgun permit records from public inspection.
As speaker, the Covington Democrat is entitled to vote on any House panel.
"I'd really prefer to not go the committees and vote. But when it's a matter of importance, I do," Naifeh said.
The House Criminal Practice Subcommittee had voted earlier Wednesday to pass the legislation sponsored by Rep. Eddie Bass, D-Prospect, while two major opponents of the bill were out of the room.
But later in the day Rep. Karen Camper, a Memphis Democrat, was sworn in to replace the late Rep. Gary Rowe, and Naifeh quickly assigned her to the Judiciary Committee.
"So I took her and presented her to the chairman and the committee, and we went from there," Naifeh said.
Naifeh last year used a similar tactic to advance a cigarette tax hike out of the tobacco-friendly House Agriculture Committee. The day of a key vote, he installed another newly sworn-in Memphis Democrat to that panel to ensure its passage.
Naifeh said he's not concerned that his opponents will paint him as stacking the deck or being devious.
"If that's all I get accused of, I can live with that," he laughed.
House Judiciary Chairman Kent Coleman, D-Murfreesboro, said he voted for the measure the first time on Wednesday with the knowledge that House rules limit motions for reconsideration to members who voted on the winning side.
Coleman, Naifeh and Camper were joined by the Reps. Rob Briley and Janis Sontany - the two Nashville Democrats who had been absent earlier - to kill the bill on a 5-4 vote.
Naifeh last month joined the same panel to vote against several other gun bills, including proposals to allow people to carry their weapons into restaurants and state parks, authorizing faculty and staff at public schools and universities to carry handguns on campus and to give people voluntarily hospitalized in mental institutions the right to obtain handgun permits after seven years.
Naifeh said he's not worried about alienating fellow Democrats who support various gun-related proposals.
"We both realize and understand that we've got different views on gun bills, and we've had discussions on them," he said. "And it doesn't cause any friction whatsoever."
After the maneuver, Naifeh displayed to a reporter a certificate showing he has completed the gun safety course necessary to obtain a handgun carry permit for himself. Naifeh said he has a 9 mm Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol that he plans to carry after obtaining a permit.
The companion measure is scheduled for a Senate floor vote today.
Good morning. There may be little response to this post, because we are NUMB to the antics of Naifeh, that low-life, power-hungry, dictator wannabe.
I read this in the paper this morning, and just shook my head. I don’t live in his district, and I can’t imagine why his constituents keep sending him back to the Statehouse... He’s a very powerful politician, though, so I imagine he’ll be around a while. He tried to ruin the reputation of the last man that dared to run against him.
As speaker, the Covington Democrat is entitled to vote on any House panel.So, Naifeh can mess with your life, regardless of whether you live in his district. How special is that?
The liberals want open records and full disclosure on who owns weapons, but they run and hide when their own public records are made, well, public.
I suggest a similar course of action against this Naifeh character.
Looking at him he probably shares Spitzer's interests.
Very special, indeed. Just ask him, ah, er, His Highness.
Naifeh is bad news. He’s the sorta southern white Dem who allies with urban liberals and blacks to control the state government in a state where votewise he should not be able to.
I suggest anyone who wants to unseat Naifeh, they would be wise to visit the site of Rory Bricco, the conservative candidate who will surely defeat him in the upcoming election. http://www.rorybricco.com
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