Colorado Sheriffs: Senate Dems. Threatening Pay Freezes Over Gun Control Opposition

Claims law enforcement are being blackmailed into backing down

Steve Watson
Infowars.com
Mar 11, 2013

Sheriffs in Colorado have accused Senate Democrats of threatening to withhold pay raises as payback for the law enforcers’ opposition to multiple draconian gun control bills currently making their way through the legislature.

El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa told a local radio talk show host this weekend that he had been notified by lobbying group The County Sheriffs of Colorado (CSOC), that “the Senate Dem leadership is very upset with the sheriffs and their opposition to the gun control bills.”

The group also allegedly told Maketa that unnamed members of the Democratic leadership in the Senate had threatened to delay a vote on a legislation that would see sheriffs’ salaries improved in Colorado.

Saying that he would take up the matter with Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, Sheriff Maketa said “What they’re saying is ‘you have really upset us… and it’s almost a coercion, extortion, blackmail or influence of a public official through pay.”

Maketa added that sheriffs in the State have had their pay frozen since 2006, and are entitled to a 10 percent increase.

With reference to the content of the gun control bills, Maketa noted that they amount to an attempt to ensure some residents would be forced to surrender their firearms and ammunition.

“Even prior to conviction for a crime, they are forcing citizens, before being proven guilty, to surrender their weapons,” he said.

Listen to Maketa’s comments below:

“I think it absolutely needs to be looked into,” Maketa noted, describing the alleged threat as “sheriffs obey or you will pay.”

“A line needs to be drawn between right from wrong and a legal approach versus an unlawful act on behalf of the leadership.” the Sheriff said.

In further comments on his Facebook page, Maketa wrote:

“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 [sic] commission’s recommendations.”

When asked about the allegations, CSOC president Fred McKee told the Denver Post that he had not heard anything about the matter.

In a statement issued Monday, Senate president John Morse denied the allegations were accurate:

“These allegations are not only false, they are ridiculous,” he wrote. “Sheriff Maketa is referencing an email from a member of the sheriff’s trade association, CSOC — a lobbying and political organization. He has provided no evidence that anyone in leadership actually said or emailed they were withholding a pay increase to get support on the gun safety bills.”

The Colorado Senate advanced five of the gun control bills for a final vote scheduled for today. Three of the bills have already passed the House.

As we have previously reported, County Sheriffs all over the country have been very outspoken with regards to State efforts to institute gun control legislation essentially passed down from the Federal level. Many sheriffs have declared such efforts to be unconstitutional and have vowed not to enforce any laws that encompass gun confiscation or infringements on the Second Amendment.

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Steve Watson is the London based writer and editor for Alex Jones’ Infowars.com, and Prisonplanet.com. He has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of Politics at The University of Nottingham, and a Bachelor Of Arts Degree in Literature and Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University.

This article was posted: Monday, March 11, 2013 at 1:15 pm

Tags: government corruption, gun rights

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