First- Ever Recall Revives Gun Control Debate
BLITZER: An unprecedented state recall has put the national debate over gun control back in the political spotlight. Leaving two Democratic lawmakers out of a job. CNN crime and justice correspondent Joe Johns has been working this story for us. And the viewers who haven't been following what's going on in Colorado, this is pretty dramatic stuff.</s>JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's very true, Wolf. Before now, Colorado Democrats John Morse and Angela Giron were anything but household names in national politics. But what happened to them in the recall elections last night is likely to be remembered as a huge moment in the battle over gun control.</s>JOHNS (voice-over): Just a year after the movie massacre in Aurora, 14 years after the mass shooting in Columbine, the Colorado recall vote shows gun rights still has huge muscle, especially in the west. What two state senators had in common was voting for gun control, limiting firearm ammunition magazines to 15 rounds, and requiring universal background checks on gun sales. But voters recalled them Tuesday night. They were defiant.</s>JOHN MORSE, FORMER COLORADO STATE SENATE PRESIDENT: What we did was the right thing. And I said months ago, if doing this costs me my political career, that's a very small price to pay.</s>ANGELA GIRON, FORMER COLORADO STATE SENATOR: We can all really be proud of the work that we did. It appears that we have a little more work to do.</s>JOHNS: It was a huge blow for gun control advocates who vastly outspent the competition and still lost. The NRA called the vote a blowback reaction to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a powerful group headed up by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg who has pledged to personally finance a fight against the NRA. He gave $350,000 to oppose the recall election. John Caldara's Independence Institute advocates for Second Amendment Rights.</s>JOHN CALDARA, PRESIDENT, THE INDEPENDENCE INSTITUTE: I don't think you can underestimate the national impact of what happened here in Colorado. Let's remember that Michael Bloomberg has been on a tear to take away gun rights across America and after exploiting these tragic shootings, he was able to make some movement in the states in places like Connecticut and New York but he has to make it in the west.</s>JOHNS: Bloomberg essentially downplayed the national impact, suggesting it was a local phenomenon, calling it, "a reflection of a small, carefully selected population of voters' views on the legislature's overall agenda this session." And Colorado isn't the only state where gun control is under attack. In Missouri, the legislature there debating a bill already vetoed by the governor that would make federal gun laws meaningless. It would have a tough time surviving a challenge in the courts but it could help get voters energized as the midterm elections approach next year.</s>MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL DIRECTOR: It's important because what it's going to do is that it's going to excite the base. It's going to excite gun owners or owners -- or folks who think that gun rights are very important, whether that being able to own a machine gun or to own a hunting rifle.</s>JOHNS: By the way, several states have tried to nullify federal laws that they didn't like. And not just over guns. The latest attempt that got swatted down just this year has the Supreme Court involved, Arizona's voter registration law that required proof of citizenship. The Supreme Court said federal law is controlling.</s>BLITZER: That -- those two recalls, that's going to spend a pretty powerful political signal out there to other lawmakers, state and federal, who may be wavering from the NRA on this issue.</s>JOHNS: Absolutely. It's the kind of thing that makes a politician think twice, especially during an election year.</s>BLITZER: It certainly does. All right, thanks very much. Joe Johns, reporting. We'll have more of our special coverage on Syria. That's coming up right at the top of the hour, and including a harsh charge against President Obama from a key Republican senator who was known for actually wanting to work with the president. But first, coming up next, Anthony Weiner's rather bizarre farewell to a rather bizarre campaign.