Quote from Lucrum:
.... sheriffs in Colorado who are "refusing to enforce" gun control laws passed earlier in 2013,......
Recalls in Colorado
In early 2013, the Colorado legislature passed a series of gun control bills following the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting and the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The new laws provided for a ban on magazines holding more than fifteen rounds of ammunition, a universal background check, and a requirement that buyers pay a fee for the background check. Initial petitions for recall targeted Senate President John Morse and State Representative Mike McLachlan. Two additional petitions were also filed against Senators Evie Hudak and Angela Giron. All four are members of the Democratic Party.
On June 3, 2013, 16,000 signatures petitioning to recall Morse to the Colorado Secretary of State, of which only 7,178 needed to be certified in order to force a recall election. In addition, over 13,000 signatures were turned in to recall Giron, of which 11,285 needed to be certified Efforts to recall McLachlan failed, collecting only about 8,500 signatures of the 10,587 needed. Likewise, the efforts to recall Hudak also failed, falling short of the 18,962 signatures needed.
On July 9, 2013, Morse file suit in the Denver District Court seeking an injunction to block the recall election. At the same time Secretary of State Gessler filed suit to force Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper to set a date for the recall election. On July 18, 2013, Denver District Court Judge Robert Hyatt issued a preliminary ruling that the recall process must proceed even while Morse and Giron challenged the process in court. Hickenlooper then set the recall election for September 10.
Financial donations were also an issue. Bloomberg donated $350,000 to support Morse and Giron. Billionaire Eli Broad donated $250,000 to support the two senators. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee spent $250,000 to oppose recall. The NRA had spent over $108,000 to support the recall efforts. In total, the Morse and Giron side spent approximately $3,000,000 opposing the recall, while the recall supporters only spent about $500,000.
Morse conceded on the evening of September 10. Initial poll returns seemed to indicate that Giron would win her recall election. The final votes were 9,094 to recall Morse and 8,751 to keep him, about a 2% difference. The final results also ousted Giron, 19,355 to 15,201, about a 12% difference. Giron's recall was more surprising, as the district is 47% Democrat to 23% Republican, and news reports stated that Giron was stunned at the results. Other sources stated that Giron remained defiant. Giron has claimed that the recall was due to voter suppression.
On October 4, 2013, Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler approved a second petition to recall Colorado State Senator Evie Hudak, the signature gatherers had 60 days to collect 18,300 or more signatures to force a recall election in Colorado Senate District 19 which encompasses Arvada, Colorado and Westminster, Colorado. Hudak later resigned rather than face recall. Because she resigned, the Democrats will be able to appoint a replacement; if she had been recalled, the Republicans could have gained a majority in the state senate.
