Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Two state senators in Colorado who supported gun-control bills are ousted in recall elections

A pair of Democratic state senators in Colorado who supported stricter gun-control legislation were defeated in recall elections Tuesday. Senate President John Morse (D-Colorado Springs) and Sen. Angela Giron (D-Pueblo) will be replaced in office with Republican candidates who petitioned onto the recall ballot. Even with the changes, Democrats still control the Senate, the House and the governor's office, note Lynn Bartels, Kurtis Lee and Joey Bunch report for The Denver Post.

Morse's election was close, with 50.9 percent voting for his recall. The gap was larger in Giron's election, with 56 percent voting to oust her. (Post map)

At issue were three gun laws that Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law in March. "One bill limits ammunition magazines to 15 rounds, another requires universal background checks, and the third charges gun customers for the cost of the checks," Bartels and Lee noted in March.

Gun-rights advocates tried to recall two other Democrats who voted for the bills, Rep. Mike McLachlin of Durango and Sen. Evie Hudak of Westminster, but failed to get enough signatures to force elections. (Read more)

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