I had a email from a friend in Colorado who was excited about the victories he has shared by being involved in the grassroots Second Amendment effort responsible for the recall of two Democrat state senators. They promoted and voted for the radical, job-destroying gun-control measure that ended up passing a year ago.
The passing of the gun control law was funded by billionaire, gun-grabbing Michael Bloomberg, who dumped tons of cash and lobbying expertise into Colorado, making this another example of how lobbyist work to pass bills contrary to the people. With deep pockets they managed to persuade enough state representatives to adopt new gun-rights restrictions.
Lobbying is an important part of our government, which is why I don’t support banning the practice. The majority of Lobbyists are like expert witnesses in a court trial, offering valuable insights and knowledge on issues that help our elected officials create legislation to govern. It’s when special interest groups use this lobbying tool to unduly influence legislators that it becomes a problem. In Colorado, this has backfired and those who supported the recent gun control measure are now being held accountable. Unfortunately, Colorado’s grassroots effort is the exception not the rule.
As our states and nation become more populous, governing becomes more and more complicated. Some suggest term limits as a way to keep legislators focused on the will of their constituents. I do not believe that is the answer. Creating restrictions on the people’s representatives will only serve to strengthen big money, not the people. To level the playing field we need smaller districts which make our representatives more accountable. Smaller districts will return the control to the people.