Colorado Governor to Sheriffs: Hey, Sorry About That New Gun Control Law

Back in March 2013 (and after a massive cash dump from former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg), Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed new anti-gun legislation into law.

Colorado's governor signed bills Wednesday that place new restrictions on firearms, signaling a change for Democrats who have traditionally shied away from gun control in a state with a pioneer tradition of gun ownership and self-reliance.

The legislation thrust Colorado into the national spotlight as a potential test of how far the country might be willing to go with new gun restrictions after the horror of mass killings at an Aurora movie theater and a Connecticut elementary school.

Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper signed bills that require background checks for private and online gun sales and ban ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.

The debate in the Democratic-controlled Legislature was intense, and Republicans warned that voters would make Democrats pay. The bills failed to garner a single Republican vote.

In response to the legislation, a few months later Colorado State Senate President John Morse and State Senator Angela Giron were recalled in a historic defense of Second Amendment rights. Further, not only did Colorado sheriffs refuse to enforce the law, they sued over it.

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Now, Hickenlooper is apologizing for signing the legislation without meeting with sheriffs beforehand and is admitting his office did not expect the backlash.

Governor John Hickenlooper is offering an apology to some of his fiercest rivals on the issue of gun control: Colorado’s sheriffs.

The governor’s mea culpa came Friday when he spoke before an assembled group of sheriffs from around Colorado.

A Hickenlooper spokesman confirms that the Governor apologized to the sheriffs for not meeting with them prior to the passage of gun control bills they opposed. Hickenlooper also said his administration didn’t do a good job anticipating pushback on gun control. According to his spokesman, Hickenlooper pledged better communication in the future.