The headline reads, “Colorado governor tries to apologize for gun control measures, blames staff, then curses.” That’s actually a pretty good summary of the situation. Video of his statement is here.
You may recall that 55 of the 62 elected sheriffs in Colorado brought a suit to challenge the constitutionality of the gun-control bills Hickenlooper signed last year. You may also recall that state Senators Morse and Giron were ousted in a historic recall election over those bills, and that Senator Hudak resigned just as she was about to be recalled.
Now, when he has to save face, he tries to spread the blame and claim he just didn’t realize what a “kerfuffle” his signature would cause. Really? Does the fact that Michael Bloomberg bent him over a metaphorical barrel to sign them not suggest there might be some friction? Does the fact that the bills passed along strict party lines not imply some dissent?
When he signed HB 1224 (the magazine capacity bill), he promised that it would “make our state safer in the long run.” Now he says,
Some punk kid in Aurora wants to go out there and start spray shooting his neighborhood, which is still happening, in Aurora, in Denver, in Colorado Springs. It’s not like you’re gonna have a hard time finding a magazine.
So, he admits it doesn’t make them any safer. I have a serious question. No, really. Is this because they legalized pot? Are the voters in Colorado expected to be so baked they’ll swallow this sort of vacillation?
Let’s hope all this backlash leads to a repeal of those laws in the near future.