August 29, 2013 10:17 AM UTC

Hickenlooper Swings Into Action For Morse, Giron

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• by: Colorado Pols

In a nationwide appeal sent moments ago via the Democratic National Committee, Gov. John Hickenlooper throws down hard against the upcoming recall elections of Senate President John Morse and Senator Angela Giron:

We have shown in Colorado that after great tragedy we can come together and make our schools, streets, and homes safer.

After Columbine, we closed a loophole that allowed dangerous people to purchase weapons at gun shows.

After the senseless shootings in Aurora last year, we studied the facts and talked to a wide range of people — including Second Amendment advocates — about how we could prevent gun violence. We passed legislation improving mental health services, modest restrictions on future sales of high capacity gun magazines, and universal background checks.

We were only able to pass the law because Democratic legislators had the courage to stand up to outside special interests — but now those groups are trying to make an example of two of them by forcing them into a recall election…

Opponents of these laws told us that expanding background checks wouldn't keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. The facts show otherwise. Last year alone, more than 5,000 people failed background checks because of arrests or convictions for serious crimes, including 38 people for homicide, 133 for sexual assault, 420 with restraining orders, 618 for burglary, and 1,380 for felony assault.

Expanding background checks to cover all gun sales prevents violent criminals from acquiring guns. That means safer communities while also respecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Coloradans.

These recall elections cost a small fortune and do nothing to improve democracy or representative government. They are intended to intimidate and punish a select number of Democratic legislators for daring to vote their conscience — for daring to do the right thing to make their communities safer.