Readers of this page know well our passion for gun control. We favor it, welcome Colorado’s new gun control laws, and wish they were tougher still. On the first anniversary of the Aurora massacre, it is clear as daylight that access to guns needs to be more tightly controlled, a stance that is not contradicted whatsoever by the view, which we endorse, that much more needs to be done to meet the mental health needs of the population. Not: Gun control versus mental health service. Not: one or the other. Rather: both/and.
That said, we find it incomprehensible that supporters of gun control would oppose the recall elections of two state legislators who worked hard to make sure these gun control laws were passed: John Morse of Colorado Springs and Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo.
Is democracy supposed to be only for those with whom you agree? Does only one side get to play democracy — and if so, have we not then gutted democracy? Is not a recall election a fundamental tenet of democracy — indeed, fought hard for in the early decades of the 20th century?
We were aghast when some opposed these recall elections on the grounds that the two legislators in question were not guilty of fraud or some other type of moral or political turpitude. The way these opponents of the recall elections expressed it, these unusual elections were about, heaven forfend!, politics.
Of course they were about politics. That’s what recall elections are for — to express political disagreement. What, exactly, is wrong with that?
True enough, a recall election should be a rare occurrence, since our representative form of democracy ought to focus the citizenry on the regularly scheduled elections. As it happens, these are the first recall elections of state lawmakers in Colorado history — hardly an abuse of process.
As strongly as some feel for gun control, others feel just as strongly against it. The issue itself has been joined. That is good. For too long the pro-gun lobby has held sway. What should never have been joined is a dispute over an entirely legitimate Colorado constitutional exercise — a recall election of gun control advocates. Denver District Court Judge Hyatt had it exactly right when he said from the bench: “Recalls are a fundamental right of Colorado citizens.”
Unfortunately, in our overheated partisan atmosphere, there are those who deny this right to someone who backs a public policy with which they disagree. That is, some will go to any length, including undemocratic lengths, to stop their opponents.
Our position is clear. We heartily support the stance of Senate President John Morse and of Sen. Angela Giron on behalf of gun control. We equally support the right of citizens who disagree to initiate a recall election. There is no contradiction whatsoever in these two stances. One is a matter of policy. The other is a matter of process. To us, both are essential to the healthy functioning of our society. Not one or the other, but both/and.
Copyright © 2013 by the Intermountain Jewish News
