County defers decision on hillside sign advertising gun club

By Joe Schoenmann

Wednesday, June 20, 2012 | 4:01 p.m.

A Las Vegas lawyer’s threat that if he didn’t get his way, his client would sue and potentially put up an even bigger sign on a hillside near Boulder City advertising a nearby gun club angered some county commissioners who implied the threat was unprofessional.

That said, Commissioner Mary Beth Scow, whose district includes the gun club and the chalk signage in question, admitted that the possibility of a lawsuit coupled with questions about whether Boulder City residents still objected to the sign led her to hold the issue until August.

At the outset Tuesday morning, however, Scow seemed ready to vote against the sign, which originally adorned two faces of a hillside pointed toward Boulder City. Located west of U.S. Highway 93-95, the sign was put up more than a year ago to advertise the Pro Gun Club, formerly known as Desert Hills Shooting Club. In its original incarnation, the sign read in large white letters: “PRO GUN CLUB” then included a phone number and that it was open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

A compromise with Boulder City residents led to it being pared down to ‘PRO GUN CLUB.” Further compromise will reduce it to just “GUN CLUB” and only in one place. The “pro” in front of “gun club,” one resident complained, led one tourist in Boulder City to comment that the city seemed to be “pro gun clubs” because of the sign.

Clark County is dealing with the issue because it is on county land. But it is affecting Boulder City residents, as Scow demonstrated with a handful of complaints received via email.

Scow noted, however, that her dislike of the sign was based upon its original incarnation. She also wondered if Boulder City residents still objected to it now that it has been reduced in size and scope.

Looming, too, was the possibility that if the county forced the Gun Club to get rid of the sign, the club’s officers – who include Peter Eliades, who is known for owning the Olympic Garden strip club, and Sig Rogich, a longtime political consultant – might sue. The county’s attorney, though, said he had a good argument against the sign, noting it did not conform to county code.

Scow admitted she was wary of taking that chance. A loss in court might give the club owners the ability to come back with an even-bigger sign.

So Scow held the matter until August, giving Boulder City government representatives time to take information about the potential results of a court loss to their City Council for debate.