Anyone wishing to explore the workings of the hoplophobic mind needs only consider the actions of the 2013 Colorado legislature. First-time violators of the state’s new gun legislation face up to one year in prison. Yet a real life criminal who commits a felony while in violation of the law is subject to only 18 months. This makes an armed robber just 33% more worthy of punishment than the law abiding citizen who also happens to own a 20 round magazine. Disgraceful.
Yet Colorado politicos couldn’t have been happier with their knee-jerk attempts to intimidate Centennial State gun owners after the 2012 killings in Newtown, Connecticut. Included in the 2013 gun control legislation signed into law by Democrat Governor John Hickenlooper were requirements for universal background checks, new demands for mental health reporting, and prohibitions against “large capacity” magazines—that is, of over 15 round capacity.
Although it’s been a year since the law went into effect, Gov. Hickenlooper has spent the last few months running from his signature on it, not wanting to join 2 Democrats recalled from office and another forced to retire as a result of their own anti-gun ways. Last month, at an Aspen forum, Hickenlooper told sheriffs’ representatives that he had no idea that the overwhelming majority of their peers were so strongly opposed to the then-proposed legislation. It was news to Hickenlooper that these same representatives wanted to meet with him prior to his signing the legislation into law.
He also had “no idea” that the overwhelming majority of the state’s sheriffs had publically vowed to NOT enforce the terms of the legislation. As Colorado’s Milwaukee county sheriff David Clark Jr. put it to FOX News host Jeanine Pirro: “I wouldn’t enforce those laws because I don’t want to get shot, because the American people are going to put up with so much before they’re going to push back.”
Hickenlooper also claimed that rumors of conversations between himself and anti-gun loon Michael Bloomberg just prior to the legislation becoming law were simply not true. However, records of 2 calls to Hickenlooper from Bloomberg were discovered after the filing of an open records request.
Besieged with questions, the governor finally “…admitted his office did not research the gun legislation until after it was passed. Governor Hickenlooper said he didn’t realize it was going to cause such controversy and had he known he would not have endorsed the new gun laws without more research.”
Apparently, the governor MISSED those endless days of autos circling the state capitol with horns blaring as the people of Colorado registered supreme displeasure with the gun-grabbing intentions of their liberal legislators. The assault against and reaction by gun owners had been THE television news story for months. But it was all news to Hick.
And now, as a result of apparently having spent the past year under a rock, Hickenlooper faces the political fight of his life as a Rasmussen poll shows Republican candidate Bob Beauprez in a 44%-44% tie with the absent minded governor. It took Beauprez just one week to catch Hickenlooper after winning the nomination from a crowded field of GOP contenders.
Keep the lies coming, governor. Maybe you’ll take a few more Democrat legislators down with you.
Photo credit: Roy Barnett Jr. (Flickr)
The views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by WesternJournalism.com.
This post originally appeared on Western Journalism - Informing And Equipping Americans Who Love Freedom
