As Colorado-style gun control marches west, Colorado-style recall efforts are following hot on their heels. After three Oregon lawmakers expressed support of SB 941, a so-called “universal” background check measure, two Oregonians separately began campaigns to hold them accountable. Targeted in these efforts are Rep. Susan McLain and Majority Leader Val Hoyle, who will be responsible for guiding the measure through the House; and bill sponsor Sen. Chuck Riley, who was narrowly elected last fall with the financial support of Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund.
Jason Thiesfeld, who filed the petition against Hoyle, and Ben Busch, who filed the petition against McLain and Riley, say the lawmakers are ignoring the will of their constituents in favor of pandering to wealthy donors. If any of this sounds familiar, it’s probably because a similar situation played out in 2013 in Colorado, where two lawmakers who supported passage of egregious gun-control measures were successfully recalled, and another resigned. We wish Thiesfeld and Busch similar successes in their efforts.