When people shoot other people, it's sometimes out of revenge. Of course, there are a million other reasons, but revenge is one of them. When gun owners feel threatened by people who feel lives would be saved by common sense gun safety measures, some gun owners are also overwhelmed by feelings of revenge.
Of course, they know it's against the law to shoot those who they feel want to "take away their guns," and hence any inclination to exercise their "Second Amendment remedies" would be inappropriate. So how to retaliate? Simple. Find a scapegoat, and then try to recall that scapegoat.
Castrate the enemy without firing a shot.
And that is exactly what is happening in Colorado. Via the L.A. Times:
Unless a judge steps in, John Morse, the Democratic president of the Colorado Senate, faces an unprecedented recall attempt arising from the sweeping gun laws passed after the school massacre in Newtown, Conn. Morse, a former police chief, calls the legislation an act of sublime leadership and said that being tossed from office, if it happens, is worth the price.
"Tell me that you get 20 6-year-olds shot in the face with a semiautomatic assault rifle ... and that your elected officials should say, 'Hmm'" — he clucked his tongue — '"I'm really sorry that happened. I'm not going to do anything about it.' I mean, if you're not going to lead in those kinds of moments, why are you in this role?"
What his critics call arrogance, Morse calls leadership. The recall-worthy laws that seem to threaten gun owners so badly (who will still be allowed to own those guns) raised gun fees, banned the sale of high-capacity magazines and established universal background checks. How dare that senator?! How dare he want to protect lives and prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands? The nerve!
"If you can take out the Senate president in Colorado," Morse said, seated in his small office just off the chamber, "then, arguably, you can take out any legislator anywhere in the country. And so I do think it would have a chilling effect."
As the Times reported, Morse called his opponents "idiots who lied, cheated and stole to force a recall." FYI, he's a centrist with a background in law enforcement who was supported by Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters alike. What an extremist!
This would be the first recall effort since Colorado adopted the procedure more than a century ago. And by now it should go without saying, it will once again come down to funding:
National groups are closely watching developments — quietly, lest they provoke a backlash — and will probably invest considerable sums if the recall makes the ballot.
Money talks. Too bad shooting victims can't.
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