STATE/NATIONAL—With the battle over the right to carry concealed raging through Illinois, incumbent lawmakers may want to take a look at what is going on in Colorado.
Known to be one of the more Second Amendment-friendly states, local election headquarters in Colorado, usually collecting dust this time of year are as busy if there was a Primary next month.
Why?
Numerous Colorado lawmakers face recall petition efforts in what is being called the first wave of fallout over legislative votes to limit gun rights.
During a time when recalls have terminated careers of governors to mayors, city councilmen and school board members, actions in Colorado are expected to serve as a template for the rest of the country.
Many elected officials are looking to restrict gun rights in the wake of much publicized mass shootings in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn.
There are some who doubt the authenticity of not only the media reports following the incidents, but that the incidents themselves actually happened in the way the “official version” has them happening.
“It’s as much about saying Colorado is angry as it is about getting people out of office,” said organizer Anthony Garcia. “Legislators need to know when citizens are outraged that they can’t ignore the people.”
Nationally, 108 officials who faced recall last year either lost or left office.
“That makes recall a powerful tool and one to be used more often,” said another organizer.
Currently in Illinois lawmakers have passed a measure that would allow for concealed carry.
Illinois is the ONLY state that doesn’t have a measure of any kind allowing its citizens to carry concealed weapons.
Despite lawmakers from both sides of the aisle backing the measure (even speaker of the house Michael Madigan, who has been against the idea of concealed carry for more than a decade), it appears as if Gov. Pat Quinn is set to kill it.