Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, in his Virginia office last month. He will be in Colorado next week to speak at a fundraising dinner for a group trying to recall two lawmakers.The guest speaker at a fundraising dinner for a group trying to recall a Democratic state lawmaker over his gun votes theorized last year that the Aurora theater gunman didn’t act alone and the attack was somehow related to the United Nations’ small-arms treaty negotiations.
Larry Pratt, director of Gun Owners of America, is scheduled to speak at a fundraising event for The San Juan Freedom Defense Committee, which is trying to recall Rep. Mike McLachlan, D-Durango.
So, what about Pratt raising questions about whether suspected theater gunman James Holmes acted alone?
“I’ve known Larry for 25 years,” said David Saleh, spokesman for the defense committee. “He’s anything but a conspirationist.”
Pratt, 70, once served in the Virginia legislature. He worked briefly for Pat Buchanan’s 1996 presidential campaign, where he was branded an “extremist”.
Pratt is scheduled to speak Wednesday night at CJ’s Diner in Durango, according to the San Juan Freedom Defense Committee. The sit-down dinner costs $50 and is limited to 75 people. Pratt then will speak at Durango Rec Center from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Those wanting to recall McLachlan must collect at least 10,586 valid signatures, which represents 25 percent of the votes cast in that House district in the 2012 election. Saleh said Second Amendment activists want to collect at least 15,000 names to be safe.
“We’re not saying it’s going to be easy,” he said. “I’m not trying to downplay that.”
But, he said, when McLachlan campaigned he said he was a supporter of the Second Amendment, but his votes for four gun bills don’t reflect that.
“This is their right to petition to recall me.” McLachlan told the Durango Herald when the recall was announced. “I look forward to a full discussion of the issues.”
Recall efforts also are underway — but by different groups — against three other Democrats: Senate President John Morse of Colorado Springs, Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo and Sen. Evie Hudak of Westminster. Their support of a package of Democratic gun bills led to the recall efforts.