04.18.19
Gun owners have been deluging Senator Arnie Roblan with calls and emails telling him to vote against SB 978.
What follows is a typical response from his office. A careful reading reveals his game plan.
Thank you for reaching out to our office, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any further questions or concerns.
Note that they say he is going to vote against it “on the floor.” But his office is also telling people that he plans to vote “yes” in the Rules Committee when the bill gets a “work session” there. The bill has to move out of that committee before anything can happen on the floor. If Roblan joins the Republicans on that committee, the bill is dead. If he votes yes, the bill goes to the Senate floor where it will almost certainly pass even if Roblan votes “no.”
The plan is to vote it out of committee and then vote “no” on the floor so when this demented attack on your rights becomes law, and most of us become felons, Roblan can say “But I voted against it.” Classic bait and switch.
Some people are being told by his office that if he does not promise to vote “yes” in committee, the Senate President can pull him off that committee for that one vote and replace him with another Democrat who will promise to vote “yes.” It’s true, the Senate President has the power to do that. But if Roblan is truly committed to voting “no” there is no reason he should care if he is pulled off the committee for that one vote.
Roblan is playing a game hoping to convince gun owners he is not trying to turn them into felons while at the same time doing what he can to get this bill passed.