Colorado senate Democrats blasted gun rights groups Wednesday for trying to recall another state lawmaker. Two Democrats were ousted in September over support for stricter gun laws. The latest campaign targets Westminster Democrat Evie Hudak.
It’s the second try at Hudak for second amendment supporters. They failed in an earlier attempt to gather enough signatures to force a recall vote against her.
“Silence is consent, and we will not be silent,” Mike McAlpine with the Recall Hudak Too campaign said. “Senator Hudak has chosen to blatantly disregard her oath, infringed upon our rights, and has voted to increase our taxes, kill our jobs, and make us less safe.”
The group has two months to collect about 18,000 signatures to put the recall before voters. Hudak is in a swing district and won re-election by a narrow margin. Gun rights supporters feel they have momentum on their side after Democratic senators John Morse and Angela Giron were recalled.
“Personally I don’t think a recall mechanism is the best way for us to resolve our policy differences,” newly elected senate president Morgan Carroll (D-Aurora) said.
One Democratic senator called the attempted recall, ridiculous. Another, Matt Jones (D-Longmont) says it’s a tactic out of the Washington playbook.
“All of the sudden, this kind of gotcha win at all costs is coming to Colorado and it’s not good for governance and it’s not good for the people and problem-solving,” Jones said.
Gun rights activists say it’s just the opposite.
They blame east coast gun control advocates such as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for helping Colorado pass universal background checks and a ban on high capacity magazines of more than 15 rounds.
For her part, Hudak is keeping mum. She scurried out of a meeting Wednesday morning refusing to discuss the recall campaign and directing reporters to her staff.
