Rocky Mountain Gun Owners’ ruinous influence
Now if only they would move to a solidly red or blue state where their pernicious presence will have no impact, Colorado could be truly free of their ruinous influence. At least the now moribund political advocacy group has left the Colorado Capitol. That’s a start.
When Colorado House Minority Leader Patrick Neville announced he would not seek reelection to his leadership position, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners ( RMGO) lost a powerful ally and access to the GOP leadership. The loss was the latest in a string of well- deserved misfortunes for the group that calls itself “Colorado’s only no- compromise gun- rights organization.” RMGO candidates lost in the 2020 primary to mainstream GOP candidates. RMGO lost its lawsuit against the state’s ban on high- capacity gun magazines. The group lost its effort to recall state Rep. Tom Sullivan. And finally, RMGO lost its head bully. RMGO founder and executive director Dudley Brown stepped aside for a new executive director. Brown, however, will remain president of the organization.
Brown founded RMGO in 1996 at a time when the GOP controlled both chambers of the Colorado General Assembly. The loss of the majority cannot be laid entirely at the feet of the RMGO since there were other factors such as urban population growth, but the group certainly played a role. The RMGO specializes in recruiting fringe GOP candidates to run against mainstream Republicans in the primary in politically purple districts. The organization then unleashes deceptive ads to secure victory for their candidates who are too far right to win in the general election. Seats in these districts fall to Democrats.
They’re not against sabotaging Republicans in the general election. In 2018, RMGO targeted then Assistant Minority Leader Cole Wist for his support for Extreme Risk Protection Order ( ERPO) legislation. Often called Red Flag laws, ERPOs enable the court to temporarily relieve people of their firearms if they are deemed a threat to themselves or others. With RMGO’s help, Wist lost the election to gun- control advocate Sullivan.
Dudley Brown later bragged to the press that the group “went out and lit- dropped his district and mailed and we put a little bit of effort into ruining his life. And he paid the price.” Brown added, “… when Republicans don’t play on the pro- gun team, we will piss in their ice bowl. We don’t care. In fact, we enjoy it. As the saying goes, ‘ If you want to stop a RINO stampede, you better shoot the first one.’ ” Their despicable tactics backfired. With Democrats in charge of both chambers, ERPO legislation passed easily without the moderating influence of Republicans.
RMGO tried again this year to influence the primary with a slate of far- right candidates but to no avail. They lost.
The primary loss was substantial enough to pave the way for Brown’s demotion and RMGO ally Patrick Neville’s decision not to run again for a leadership role. Fortunately, next session, RMGO will not enjoy the influence it had with the previous leadership. Hopefully, other fringe groups and individuals from anti- vaxxers to Michelle Malkin will also get a cold reception. With RMGO’s and other unfortunate influences weakened, the GOP has a much better shot at rebuilding its image and its numbers.
That doesn’t mean that RMGO won’t try to take out Republicans in the primary and general elections. A deceptive attack on candidate Barbara Kirkmeyer is still up on their web site. Even when rotting on the shore, a dead jellyfish can still sting.