Following a deputy sheriff killed in the Denver neighborhood, Colorado state Rep. Cole Wist took action by signing a red flag bill. The bill could result in him losing his position. ProPublica interviewed Wist concerning the harsh reality of reforming the gun industry.
Cole Wist was a Republican state House member from Colorado who received an A grade in the NRA. In 2018 he supported an anti-red flag law proposing legislation that would allow guns to be removed for a short period from those who pose a danger to them or anyone else.
Wist was forced out of the legislature due to outrage by Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, an organization for gun rights located in Colorado. It boasts that it will accept “no compromise” as it fights “the gun grabbers.” The group waged a campaign against him, dispersing brochures and referring to his social media accounts as “Cole the Mole.”
Wist, an attorney, does not regret attempting to implement what he thought was a reasonable response to the rising rate of shootings in the United States. He intervened when a mentally ill person in his Denver suburb shot and killed the sheriff’s deputy. The bill wasn’t passed till after Wist was removed from office, and his successor, Tom Sullivan, shepherded it through. Sullivan was a Democrat and lost his son during his tragic shooting at the Aurora Theater massacre.
Wist quit his position with the Republican Party this year, in part, citing his involvement in January. 6th, 2021 protests as the reason and are no longer associated with political parties of any kind. A few days after the murder of 19 children and two adults at an elementary school located in Texas, ProPublica talked to Wist about the challenges faced as gun rights advocates continue to implement gun reforms.
Colorado is among 19 states, including Illinois, Florida, and Indiana, which have red flag laws, sometimes known as extremely risk-protection orders. Texas does not. Following shootings at the Robb Elementary School massacre on Tuesday, an all-party coalition in the U.S. Senate agreed to talk about possible anti-violence measures, including the expansion of Red Flag laws.
In Colorado, a Rocky Mountain Gun Owners spokesperson called Wist “a sellout” on Friday and stated that the group was forced to oppose him. “At the end of the day, my goal is to hold politicians accountable regardless of whether they’re a Republican or a Democrat,” stated RMGO’s executive director Taylor Rhodes.
Rhodes described the school’s “massive terrorist attack” at the school but said that gun control isn’t the solution.
“We defend all that is valuable by using guns. We safeguard our banks by using guns and courts … the homes we live in. We defend our banks by using firearms.” The group logo features a picture of a gun, which is reminiscent of one of the assault weapons.
The interview with Wist was edited to improve clarity and length.
Let me know the reason you brought the bill to Colorado.
Every time we experience incidents like this, there is a tendency for people to go to their respective camps. Some believe we should ban certain types of firearms or extend universal background checks, or any other ideas to ban guns from our society. On the other hand, we are surrounded by people who say they’re mental health problems, which is a sign of a more significant mental health problem in the nation. However, you’ll notice that I don’t receive several solutions to policy issues from these people. Therefore, to explore ways to link the topic of mental health with the concoction of mental health issues with access to firearms and firearms, I began to research extremely risk-related protection orders and how other states have implemented them. One state that was the very first to pass this law was Indiana. I don’t think anyone would ever believe you are in Indiana. Indiana is a hard-left state in any way. Finally, I decided to introduce legislation on the extreme risk order for protection.
In your time as a state legislator, when you were a member of the state legislature, Republicans had control of the state Senate and Democrats held the House. What was the composition of your state legislature?
I was the representative for a district that was at the time a majority Republican. The district had been historically populated by Republican lawmakers, but the district was considered a suburb district that was becoming more purple. You are aware that once you’re selected to serve a legislative district, it’s not just a matter of being elected by those who have voted for you. You’re elected to represent all district residents, which includes all non-affiliated Democratic people.
Who opposed you when you ran for reelection back in 2018?
There’s also a group called The Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, an active gun-rights group. The group targeted me or my race to conduct campaign activities and actively fought against me. … They placed posters on doors of people, including my own, and utilized their resources to fight me.
Do you a member of the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, similar to the National Rifle Association?
I believe they describe themselves as a no-compromise gun-rights group. They are as being more assertive on gun rights issues than NRA. In addition, the NRA is the most known organization, one with the most resources. In Colorado, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners is the gun rights organization that holds the most significant influence. They’ve had success in bringing back some legislators in this state.
Did you feel like they sacrificed your seat to communicate to the other legislators to stay in the line?
It’s probably an acceptable interpretation. You can either stay within the line and take the party’s direction on this issue, or they’ll take you off. This is precisely the thing they did. It’s true; there were other variables in the 2018 election. The midterm election also marked Donald Trump’s first term as president, the only time he was in office. Therefore, there was more to consider than gun laws. However, it was an element that worked against my reelection, and did not assist. … The adversity could be enough to stifle participation from that Republican party for me.
Was there a reaction from the GOP leadership to your endorsement of the bill that is known as the red flag?
The position I held was that of the assistant minority leader of the State House at the time. There was a plan to take me out of this leadership position. The effort was unsuccessful. I believe there’s a hesitation within Republican circles in this country to confront groups like that of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners for fear of not being able to run for president because of the risk of them working against your campaign. People may consider my experience having something that stops them from having any conversations. I introduced a highly controversial bill. In these circles, engaging in discussions about gun policies or safety legislation is a risk to people in Republican circles in this area. If your goal is to remain in the office for an extended period and be renewed … it’s best not to overstep the line.
In the wake of Uvalde, What does your experience tell you about the probability of our elected officials enacting actions to stop any future atrocities?
I’ve seen sure signs popping up again following this tragedy when everybody retreats to the corner. Some are calling for the ban of certain kinds of firearms and changing the purchase age of specific types of weapons. If you attempt to eliminate AR-15s, I think this is a solution to the policy issue which some belief would be a good idea to consider. I’m not convinced. We have millions of guns in the hands of gun owners across the nation. What impact will you be able to have if you prohibit certain types of guns currently? I believe the best way to discuss this is to discuss the reasons people engage in these types of violent acts using firearms and other kinds of weapons. … So, I think that laws regarding red flags as well as legislation that focuses on reducing the risk, and discussing why these types of incidents happen is the most beneficial conversation that we can have. Let’s give law enforcement agencies and families tools they can utilize.
However, one thing that isn’t mentioned in this discussion is that — I’ll discuss specifically Colorado. We boast one of the highest rates of suicide across the nation. Also, we have one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the country, and guns cause the highest percentage of suicides in Colorado. If someone is experiencing a mental disorder, there’s a chance of committing murder, but there’s also an increased chance they’ll injure themselves. Therefore, I believe there’s an approach to portraying the laws that are deemed red flags as a way of confiscating guns and attempting to violate the constitutional rights of a person. However, I believe this is a tool to protect the person by preventing self-harm and safeguarding their family members from being hurt.
Can you explain the toll this event affected the family and you?
I was threatened because I went through this process. It was extremely difficult for our family. I’m not a fan of that aspect of life in public. Also, social media and other technologies make being in the office extremely difficult. It is possible to say anything about anything and almost anything. So, I’m able to do two things. As a citizen of the world, I can choose to withdraw from this topic and not even talk about it or attempt to do my best to spread awareness and inspire people to join forces. I’m not sure that you’ll ever be able to change the minds of all people. However, we can’t solve issues when we don’t talk with each other and not snub one another. Each time we face an incident, like the one at the state capitol in Texas the week before, we have the initial”let’s talk about it, let’s get together, let’s discuss this. However, I’m amazed by how quickly everyone gives up on the old position. I’m hoping that this time will be something different.