Colorado Democratic state senator resigns rather than face recall over gun control vote

A third Democratic state senator in the state of Colorado resigned this week rather than face a recall election spurred by her vote in favor of stiffer gun safety legislation. State Sen. Evie Hudak told CBS Denver that she is resigning in hopes of allowing the package of gun laws she supported to move forward.

“By resigning, I am protecting these important new laws,” Hudak wrote in her resignation letter. “I believe these bills will make life better for all the people of my district and for all Coloradans."

Two other state Democrats were removed from office by recall elections in September, losing to Republicans riding a stiff backlash against the Democratically-led bundle of gun laws, which were adopted earlier this year. Hudak stepped down knowing that Democrats would appoint an interim successor, thus holding on to their one seat majority in the state senate.

Colorado has become a Second Amendment battleground in the wake of the brutal movie-theater shooting that killed 12 and injured 70 on July 20, 2012 in Aurora, CO. In 1999, 12 students and a teacher were murdered in the school shooting at Columbine High School, an incident that looms large in arguments about the new gun laws.

Nearly a year after the Aurora massacre and three months after the mass shooting of 20 first graders and 6 school personnel at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, Colorado and New York pushed forward historic laws designed to curb gun violence.

Hudak authored a bill barring people convicted of domestic violence from owning guns. Colorado also outlawed concealed weapons on college campuses and limited the size of ammunition magazines sold in the state.

“Coloradans proved gun rights will not be trampled on without reaction,” said Jonathan Lockwood of the right-wing pressure group Compass Colorado via the social medium Twitter.

Democratic Sen. Linda Newell of Littleton tweeted, “Recalls: nasty way to do politics. So sad."

Watch video about this story, embedded below via CBS Denver: