March 19, 2013 06:27 PM UTC

And Now, The Gun Tantrum Backpedal

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• by: Colorado Pols

Outdoor Channel is taking pains to distance itself from a claim by Senate Republicans that the network is pulling all production from Colorado over gun control bills being signed Wednesday.

The loss of production revenue has been widely cited by gun rights supporters as another unintended consequence of anti-gun legislation passed by Democrats in the legislature and due to be signed into law by Gov. John Hickenlooper.

Senate Republicans headlined a March 8 release on their website, “OUTDOOR CHANNEL TO END PRODUCTION IN COLORADO.” Republicans claimed the network “will be moving all production [out] of Colorado.” The source of the claim was an email from Outdoor Channel executive producer Michael Bane to Sen. Steve King (R-Grand Junction)…

As you know, the passage of gun safety legislation in Colorado has provoked retaliatory threats to leave the state, primarily from plastic ammunition magazine maker Magpul and some local contractors who supply them. The threat from Outdoor Life Network was taken as evidence that the economic harm resultant from hissy fits retaliation over these bills might spread beyond the firearms and related industries.

Well, as it turns out:

In a statement to 9NEWS Tuesday, an Outdoor Channel spokesperson stressed that Bane doesn’t speak for the network’s expansive programming lineup.

You see, something important happened between the time this Outdoor Life Channel executive made his threat to pull that network’s production out of Colorado and today–which he apparently was never authorized to do as an independent producer. Of course, that makes you wonder why they didn’t correct this days ago?

It doesn’t matter now, folks. Because the bills have passed.