Colorado Red Flag Bill Sponsor Faces Recall

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

Anti-gun politicians rarely face ramifications for their betrayal of the Constitution. None whatsoever. Typically, these politicians come from anti-gun districts and have anti-gun supporters, so there aren’t electoral consequences. They’re left to continue pushing gun control policies that do nothing but hurt the law-abiding citizen.

Advertisement

That’s how it seems to go in every state and community throughout this great land of ours.

In Colorado, though, things are shaking out a bit differently. The Secretary of State just approved the language on a recall petition against State Representative Tom Sullivan or Aurora, CO.

Sullivan is best known for sponsoring the red flag gun control law in memory of his son, Alex, who was killed in the Aurora theater shooting in 2012. The legislation allows for someone’s guns to be temporarily taken away if a court determines that person is a danger to themselves or others. Governor Jared Polis (D) signed the law last month, but it doesn’t take effect until next year.

Kristine Brown is named as the person behind the recall petition on the SOS website. Colorado Politics, 9NEWS’ content partner, reports it’s the same Kristine Brown who serves as the vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party.

The Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a pro-gun rights organization and lobbying group, said in a tweet on Sunday that there will be “a brutal series of recalls targeting scandal-ridden Democrats who voted for the deadly ‘Red Flag’ gun confiscation bill.” They teased ahead to new developments.

Oh, this is beautiful. It amuses me in so many ways.

Advertisement

Now, I have no personal beef with Sullivan. I’m not a resident of Colorado, so I don’t get a say in any of that, nor should I beyond what say on this platform and the First Amendment protections we all enjoy.

But Sullivan is an anti-gun politician who seeks to impose on an individual’s right to keep and bear arms, and that I have a major problem with.

The idea that such a person faces recall for that position fills me with a profound sense of joy. After all, he’s looking to infringe on people’s Second Amendment rights. As such, it’s only fair that voters have an opportunity to infringe on his ability to do so.

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners appears to be targetting Sullivan as the first of several anti-gun lawmakers for other recalls, and while those lawmakers may not end up removed from office, fighting a recall election is bothersome and costly. It’ll serve as a clear warning to lawmakers to be very careful where they tread when it comes to the Second Amendment.

It won’t necessarily stop anti-gun legislation. I’m afraid there’s little we can do to stop it outright. What it will do is add another factor lawmakers will need to consider before voting for such a measure.

Of course, it’s not the first time legislators faced recall for anti-gun voting. Most famously, several lawmakers were recalled after voting for a magazine restriction limit in the wake of the Aurora shooting. Since then, there’s been relatively little movement either way. Now, there’s another effort afoot, and it may have far-reaching ramifications for the state.

Advertisement

Let anti-gun lawmakers understand that when they infringe on the rights of ordinary Americans to enjoy their sacred and protected right to keep and bear arms, they’ll be left to wonder how many days they have left before they have to hit the campaign trail to keep their jobs.

I applaud Rocky Mountain Gun Owners for using the laws of the state to effectively fight back against hoplophobic legislators who would restrict the rights of law-abiding citizens. Keep it up, folks!

Join the conversation as a VIP Member