During a radio interview on the Jeff Crank show KVOR (6:40 above), El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa claimed he received an email from the offices of the County Sheriffs of Colorado threatening to stop or stall pay raises to the state’s elected sheriffs if they don’t support Colorado’s pending gun control legislation. After the interview, Maketa back-pedaled on his Facebook page as follows . . .
I want to take this opportunity to let you all know that I very much appreciate your support. I believe all of us share a passion for all of our Constitutional rights, including our right to bear arms. Unfortunately, we have a liberal majority in control of our legislative process, who without any statistical data, empirical evidence, or studies to support their gun control agenda, will do what it takes to pass these control measures.
I want to make something very clear; I have not been directly threatened or coerced in any way nor would I tolerate any threat. A message delivered verbally to a representative of the Colorado Sheriff’s Association basically stated that the Senate Dems are very upset with the Colorado Sheriffs opposing the gun legislation proposed by the Senate Democrats. This message insinuated that this could negatively affect the salary bill which has been delayed and put off by the Democrats with the excuse that they would expect bipartisan support.
I do believe the salary proposal is being held hostage and I believe that if they’re willing to send gun control measures without bipartisan support then they should be willing to take a stand as the majority leadership and follow a democrat-created commission’s recommendations. It is the democrats’ created commission, which was put in place by Gov. Ritter. That same commission has gone to the legislature on a couple other occasions since its formation to increase the salaries of sheriffs and other elected officials. These salaries have not been increased since they were legislated in 2006.
I find it so ironic that they have withheld bringing this forward as legislation and taking formal action, especially in light of a double standard they hold with gun control. This inaction, and other vague insinuations, I take as quid pro quo. They are holding the salary of sheriffs hostage to gain compliance with gun control matters. I assure you that there is not a legislator on the dems’ side of the isle that will take ownership of this injustice, nor will they know where it came from, but their inaction will speak volumes.
This salary proposal or recommendation has no bearing on me personally as it does not affect me since I am term limited. Again, I want to make it clear this is not about me, or any threats made directly toward me; this is about doing what’s right and we have many sheriffs around this state standing their ground and defending law abiding citizens. These proposed laws will not increase public safety or save lives.
Rather than create laws that criminalize law abiding citizens or infringe on due process and property rights, we should be targeting criminals. We should target those who have a history of crime and a history of violence, not erode Constitutional rights nor punish law-abiding citizens, disarm them or restrict their rights. Gun control doesn’t work. Chicago is a great example, one of which our president never mentions or uses as an example.
Countless studies conducted by DOJ, the Urban Institute and even the American Journal of Medicine show gun control does not work, it only controls law abiding citizens and that’s not where we should be focused. They claim these measures will stop future mass shootings, when in fact they will not. Had these same measures been in place in any of the states where these tragedies took place, the outcomes would have been the same.
I want to thank all of you for your support and I think together we can stand firm, we can be heard, and we can make a difference. We cannot let up, we cannot give up and we cannot fall to the rhetoric they’re trying to spread. I will stand tall for you, and with you, and ask all of you to do the same. Government should be for the people, not against the people.