April 03, 2013 06:57 PM UTC

Anti-Obama Gun Protest Unexpectedly Fizzles

•  
• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Another reader photo, we're delighted to inform you that what pro-gun protesters lacked in numbers today outside President Barack Obama's speech, they made up for in classy!

Hopefully we don't have to explain this one (it's pretty straightforward).

—–

We reported yesterday about the National Rifle Association's call for a protest outside President Barack Obama's speech at the Denver Police Academy this afternoon. During the long debate over gun safety legislation recently passed by the Colorado General Assembly this session, pro-gun advocacy groups have proven quite adept at rallying impressive numbers for protests and crowding legislative hearings.

Well, something happened between the huge mobs that descended on the Colorado Capitol while these bills were debated, and today's "protest" of the President, Colorado Democrats, and Gov. John Hickenlooper.

Forwarded photo

AP reports, where hundreds of angry pro-gun demonstrators were expected to show their outrage at Obama and his reviled Democratic lackeys in Colorado, setting the tone for the political paybacks to follow as soon as elections can be held–as it turned out this afternoon,

Several dozen gun supporters booed Obama's motorcade as it arrived at the academy.

Several dozen? As in, not even one hundred protesters? We're honestly not trying to ham our reaction up, folks. After the gun lobby was able to easily bring many hundreds to the state capitol, day after day as needed to protest before these bills passed, we are legitimately surprised to see such a paltry turnout for today's protest of President Obama. A short while earlier, a number of Colorado sheriffs held a separate protest at a nearby park, attended by "about 30" demonstrators according to the Denver Post.

We talked a couple of days ago about early evidence that the incipient recall campaigns against Democratic legislators could be coming apart before they even get off the ground. Add that to the surprisingly half-hearted protest of President Obama today, and the dwindling numbers turning out, and perhaps the story should not be the "backlash" against gun safety legislation in Colorado at all.

Perhaps it should be the extent to which said "backlash" is overblown.