A Democratic state lawmaker is in a political flap over a rape comment that he made during a recent debate on a gun bill in the House of Representatives.
Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, has since apologized for what he said. But he also said in a Feb. 19 interview with Colorado Community Media that Republicans — some of whom have made comparisons to the infamous rape comments made by former GOP U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin last year — are trying to make political hay out of the situation.
“I am not Akin, man,” said Salazar. “I will stand on my record from now until kingdom come. I don’t have any policy positions that are anti-women. Whereas, they have policy positions that are.”
Salazar’s comment occurred late in the evening on Feb. 15, during debate on a bill that seeks to ban concealed weapons from being carried on college campuses.
Salazar was making a point about how he felt that having more guns on campus doesn’t make anyone safer, saying that it’s a not a good idea for students to be firing guns in chaotic situations, where the reality of a situation may be uncertain.
“That’s why we have call boxes,” Salazar said. “That’s why we have safe zones. That’s why we have whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re going to be shooting at.”
The next part of his comments is what got him in trouble.
“And you don’t know if you feel like you’re going to be raped. Or, you feel like someone’s been following you around. Or, if you feel like you’re in trouble. And when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop … pop a round at somebody.”
Some Republicans took Salazar to mean that he doesn’t think women have the wherewithal to understand whether or not they’re facing imminent danger, or that they don’t know how to react in those situations.
And Rep. Polly Lawrence, R-Douglas County, blasted Salazar’s comments on the House floor, before using Twitter to say that Salazar implied that women “may not know when they’re being raped.”
Salazar acknowledged in his interview with Colorado Community Media that what he said “was such a bad thing,” but that “he did not mean to hurt anybody.”
“It wasn’t reflective of the statement I was trying to make which was that more guns on campus doesn’t make people safe,” he said. “And please understand this: I know full well that women are fully capable of defending themselves.”
Rep. Carole Murray, R-Castle Rock, said that she did not hear Salazar’s comments on the House floor last week, but that after seeing the video, she “was appalled.”
“To me, it unveils his core beliefs,” Murray said. “That grown women would be too flaky (to handle themselves in those types of situations.”
Murray joined House Minority Leader Mark Waller of Colorado Springs in calling for Democratic leadership to call out Salazar for his “irresponsible” comments.
“I think the governor and the Speaker of the House should come out and condemn it,” Waller said.
Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office issued a statement, saying, “Rep. Salazar acknowledged his remarks were inappropriate and he apologized. That’s what he needed to do.”
Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Gunbarrel, acknowledged that Salazar “muffed it a little bit, as sometimes we all do.” But she said she “strongly supports” Salazar as a legislator.
“I’ve known Joe a long time now,” the majority leader said. “He really is a strong supporter of women’s rights.”
Hullinghorst said that it “crossed her mind” that Republicans were trying to fan the flames of this story, considering that national GOP candidates like Akin have received attention for insensitive comments about rape. Akin famously said that if women are victims of a “legitimate rape,” their bodies “have ways to shut that whole thing down,” meaning pregnancy.
“When people think of who is behind women’s rights, you think of this side of the aisle,” Hullinghorst said.
vrukstalis posted at 10:26 am on Sun, Feb 24, 2013.
I agree with momof2boys: there is no excuse for those comments. I believe his comments show his "true colors"
Rep Salazar is scheduled to have a Town Hall Meeting in Thornton on 3/9/13.
Please join Freedomworks.org and search for Thornton, CO Tea Party Patriots for more information.
momof2boys posted at 8:44 pm on Fri, Feb 22, 2013.
I really do not care at this point if he apologizes! He has already brought up old wounds! I was raped by a Colorado man! I am absolutely sure that I know that I was being raped! I am lucky I finally (after much torture) could reach my gun. I am seriously upset that so many men make comments like these! He should not be re-elected! I seriously doubt he is all for women's rights. His apology is not accepted by me! Too late, you already hurt too many people! Salazar is an idiot to think women cannot protect themselves! I did and women do all day long every day. We take care of our families, our jobs and more! We are fully intelligent enough to carry a gun and use it appropriately! I wish I had pop-popped one into the rapist's head instead of my gun jamming!!!!!! Instead, I beat him with it until he ran!!! GLAD I HAD IT!! Salazar's comments are seriously OFFENSIVE!!!!
Pug Pug McPug posted at 10:19 am on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
Democrat is synonymous with idiot. I wonder what kind of armed security detail this moron has at taxpayer expense? Because democrat is also synonymous with hypocrite.
caldodge posted at 7:14 am on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
Cheap shot, n: Quoting someone accurately to point out his stupidity.
Every school massacre in the last 40 years has been in a "gun-free" zone. But liberal-think is a fact-free process, depending on devotion to dogma and a complete denial of facts.
tom h posted at 7:43 pm on Tue, Feb 19, 2013.
Mr Salazar's comments were entirely predictable from a fellow who is the product of a public school education and an undergraduate degree from U Colorado at Boulder, with majors in -- get this -- Sociology, Ethnic Studies, and English.
Watching him on TV I've never seen a bigger girlie-man ... he's a bigger wuss than Matt Lauer.
He's one mugging away from being an advocate of gun rights, like all liberals who ought to know better.
Synova posted at 7:39 pm on Tue, Feb 19, 2013.
He believes that women are fully capable of defending themselves... until they have a gun in their hand and suddenly turn into hysterical nincompoops.
I really don't know how an "oh, I'm sorry" works into this without him actually reversing his policies. He thinks that "more guns" would make people less safe because those people will "pop off a round" if they get nervous for no reason. And his remarks about rape whistles was nearly as bad.
In truth, nothing stops the irresponsible from bringing a gun on campus right now. The only "more" guns on campus would be those in the hands of careful rule-followers who care about the law and have been responsible about obtaining the training and range time required and paying the fees required for concealed carry in Colorado.
notsothoreau posted at 7:35 pm on Tue, Feb 19, 2013.
so we are opening up combat roles for women in the military. Yet somehow, if a woman feels threatened, he's concerned that she'd hit an innocent bystander if she used a gun? I don't want to rely on call boxes or whistles, if someone is after me. I want to be able to defend myself.
His comments are fair game, just like any other politician. Gun free zones on campus are magnets for criminals. They know that there are a lot of vulnerable people without any protection. I would much rather see qualified citizens with concealed carry permits be allowed to carry weapons on campus. That makes me feel much safer than those call boxes.
mtkennedy posted at 7:22 pm on Tue, Feb 19, 2013.
"Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Gunbarrel:"
You just can't make this stuff up.
DrTJMC posted at 6:59 pm on Tue, Feb 19, 2013.
Salazar claims to have a record of defending women’s rights but his actions to deprive them of their Second Amendment rights are completely contradictory to that claim. Salazar wants to deprive women of their right to defend themselves. The best apology he could make would be a a reversal of his war on women.
bflat879 posted at 6:53 pm on Tue, Feb 19, 2013.
The man has a "D" after his name, generally that means a free ride in the press and I expect they're doing everything in their power to push this aside as soon as possible. Never fear Democrats, no one will notice.