Friday, March 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
NOT everyone will appreciate a federal court ruling upholding a ban on handbill distribution on the Strip.
But tourists, deeply offended by the often sexually explicit fliers, will. The bar on all handbills is the county's latest attempt to rid the Strip of smut. Unfortunately, to comply with legal precedent, all handbills -- smutty or not -- have been outlawed.
The decision by federal Judge Lloyd George undoubtedly will be appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, whose rulings often are hard to predict.
George's ruling is another in a series of efforts to stop peddlers from jamming smut materials into the hands of passing tourists. Aggressive peddlers have driven offended tourists off the sidewalk and into the busy street. Handbillers in the past have successfully resisted efforts to ban their distribution.
The volume of the material is staggering. One business alone distributes 400,000 handbills a month. This sidewalk bombardment has not escaped the notice of hotel-casinos -- understandably sensitive about their image -- which have pressed for the ban. It also has wreaked havoc on the image of family entertainment. The SUN has received letters from tourists who were so outraged by the fliers, they vowed never to return to Las Vegas.
District Attorney Stewart Bell has promised vigorous enforcement of this ordinance, now that it's passed a key judicial test. We hope so. It's high time that one of the most exciting tourist areas in the nation is rid of this black eye.
It's unfortunate that handbill distribution has become an all-or-nothing situation. But the blame lies squarely on the distributors who for years have thumbed their noses at casino management and local officials. Their public-be-damned attitude is offensive to tourists and has wasted hundreds of hours of legal research time.
Tourists have the right to travel public thoroughfares without having handbills shoved in their faces. And hotel-casinos have the right to protect their businesses.
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