Colorado Recall: Two State Senators Fired For Gun Control Efforts
September 10, 2013
AP Government Unit 3
First recall in the state of Colorado happened on Tuesday, removing the two Democratic Senators, John Moore, and Angela Giron because of their support for gun-control initiatives. The recall has been viewed as a major win for gun rights activists and the National Rifle Association (NRA).
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| Colorado Democratic State Senate President John Morse, left, and state Sen. Angela Giron
Colorado's history on gun rights has been a long, heated, and controversial one. It is the state that is home to two of the most deadly shootings in U.S. history, the Aurora movie theater shooting on July 20, 2012 and the Columbine High School Massacre inn 1999. Since then there has been a larger push for gun control laws on a national scale. Senators Morse and Giron both voted in support of the legislation, signed into law by Governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper, that required background checks for all firearm purchases and bans on ammunition magazines with over 15 rounds.
Outraged gun activist started the talk of a recall, with previous motion to recall four democrats who supported this recently passed legislature, but went with the two most vulnerable, Morse and Giron. The news of a recall spread quickly across the nation. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, steadfast supporter of stricter gun laws, billionare philanthropist Eli Broad, and other Democratic politicians donated and raised nearly 3 million dollars to support their fellow democratic friends.
On the other side of the recall, organizations like the NRA, Americans For Prosperity (AFP), and local newspapers such as the Pueblo Chieftain, heavily supported the removal of Colorado's two Democratic senators. The recall soon became a crusade between gun activists vs gun control disciples, and Democrats vs Republicans.
Tuesday the results came in with the Republicans and gun rights activists wearing the crown. The NRA political victory fund proclaimed the victory as "historic".
I thought this article was interesting in the fact that there was a recall and it actually came through, since we've just learned about it through our textbook and it is one of our vocabulary words. Though, this issue becomes somewhat ridiculous when it becomes a fight over party politics. Both sides of the recall were guilty of this, the NRA and Mayor Bloomberg of NYC especially. I don't believe that outside influences should interfere with issues that regard the state. The public opinion in Colorado is different of that in New York or Wyoming, and Colorado should be represented on how its citizens desire it to be, without heavy strategic interjections from strong authorities/organizations.
As for my opinion on gun control legislation, I am a supporter of gun rights. With the passing of required background checks for all firearm purchases and bans on ammunition magazines with over 15 rounds, Morse said Colorado's gun laws were common sense ideas to reduce fatalities in mass shootings. I disagree with the effectiveness of the legislature. With the Aurora movie theater shooting, James Holmes, the man convicted for the shooting, planned the attack out and even booby trapped his apartment with chemical bombs. A person like Holmes would be able to attain the weapons and ammunition even with the gun control laws. Same situation with the massacre at Columbine. The two students that committed the shootings attained their firearms through illegal means, so its hard to believe that the passing of gun control laws will stop these haunting violent acts through legal means, since they are acquiring the weapons through illegal means. I feel as if the only way to stop such horrific acts of violence would be to expunge our right to bear arms entirely, but this diminishes our right to protect ourselves, and I believe in our unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
My position regarding the recall, I would not recall an elected official over their support for gun control. Recall isn't something I believe is suited for such an issue and should be decided in the elections. |
