Nevada governor doesn't want shock-rocker in Reno

CARSON CITY, Nev. - Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn and others opposed to a scheduled Marilyn Manson concert in Reno got their wish: the shock-rocker has canceled the May 3 event.

In canceling late Tuesday, Manson said his music shouldn't be linked to last week's student killings in Colorado. He canceledthe Reno concert along with four other early May events, including one May 5 in Las Vegas.

"This tragedy was a product of ignorance, hatred, and an access to guns. I hope the media's irresponsible finger-pointing doesn't create more discrimination against kids who look different," he said.

Guinn sent a letter Tuesday to organizers of the Reno concert, saying the cancelation would be "a fitting show of respect for the victims of the Colorado tragedy."

A spokesman for the governor said Guinn wouldn't comment on whether his concern might also lead to a veto of a pending bill to liberalize Nevada laws on concealed weapons.

The GOP governor said it's not his intent "to stop artists or performers from appearing in Nevada, and I recognize this office has no legal recourse to halt this concert."

But he said he was asking for a voluntary cancelation "in response to the overwhelming feedback from this community" in opposition to the show.

Guinn's letter followed a move by a group of Reno-area parents to stop the concert scheduled at the Lawlor Events Center on the University of Nevada, Reno, campus.

Jody Ruggiero, a parent of a Reno high school student and one of the people who called Guinn's office, said the cancellation of an April 30 Manson concert near Denver gives her hope that Reno's concert will be stopped as well.

She accused Manson's band of being antisocial and anti-Christ, and trying to incite young people to violence, adding, "I don't care what your religion is. This is not about censorship. This is about public safety."

Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, killed 12 students and one teacher at Columbine High School before taking their own lives.

The two gunmen were members of the "Trench Coat Mafia" clique, which reportedly favored bands such as Manson's.

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