Hickenlooper On Recalls: I Need To Do Better Job Of Getting Facts Out There
DENVER (CBS4)- Colorado's governor says he'll have to do a better job of getting the facts out there when it comes to gun control laws after two state legislators lost their recall elections.
Gov. John Hickenlooper commented on the results of the recall on Wednesday. He said they were successful because of what he called "a vocal minority" that didn't have all the information on the gun laws.
"This did turn out to be very divisive but to a vast majority of Coloradans, universal background checks isn't something they have a problem with," said Hickenlooper.
Hickenlooper believes that 80 percent support those background checks.
Voters in Southern Colorado recalled two Democratic state senators over their stance on gun control. It's the first recall in Colorado history.
Senate President John Morse lost his recall by just 343 votes in Colorado Springs.
Senator Angela Giron lost my more than 4,000 votes in the district around Pueblo. That district is mostly blue-collar and favors Democrats.
RELATED: Giron Recall Likely To Be Most Troubling For Democrats
Hickenlooper defended the universal background check law. He said he was never that fired up about the 15-round limit on magazines although he did sign it into law and said he's not going to second guess himself now.
Hickenlooper said he still believes the vast majority of Coloradans support the gun laws.
"Politics revolves around certain issues. How people talk about them and how people's emotions respond to them. And often times the perceived reality is more emotionally powerful than, than the facts," said Hickenlooper. "Obviously I'll have to do a better job of getting the facts out there.
Not everyone agrees with the governor and believes the people made an educated choice.
"We are very diverse, intelligent people down there. We don't need a lot of explanation on what we see as black and white. I'll tell you what we don't understand in Southern Colorado, how you can have a governor who doesn't veto any bills," said Sen. Larry Crowder, a Republican representing District 35 which is part of Pueblo County, Alamosa County and several other counties.
Crowder believes that Giron's recall will be a big problem for Hickenlooper.
"The town of Pueblo, they can't recall the last time they had a Republican representative," said Crowder.
