Fresh off a primary victory where he bested former Congressman Tom Tancredo, Secretary of State Scott Gessler, and former state senate minority leader Mike Kopp, Bob Beauprez discussed some of the key issues in the upcoming governors campaign: from energy and the environment to guns and capital punishment.
Many in the GOP were relieved at the Beauprez victory, as Tancredo is a staunch anti-illegal immigrant firebrand who some worried would pose problems for other Republicans on the ticket, such as U.S. Senate challenger Cory Gardner. Beauprez has already run once before, losing to Democrat Bill Ritter by 17 points in 2006.
The Catholic former Congressman has criticized Hickenlooper for blocking the execution of death row inmate Nathan Dunlap. The Governor didn’t grant clemency but gave an indefinite reprieve. Bob Beauprez elaborated on this and other topics in this interview.
Interview Highlights
Do you personally oppose the death penalty?
"No I support our death penalty. Philosophically there are some Catholic clerics, bishops that are anti- death penalty. That is a philosophical position that they hold. It is not church doctrine. I don’t have a blood lust. I won’t rejoice the day Nathan Dunlap is executed."
Was it a tough decision? Did you have to grapple with it?
I did grapple with it because I do believe there are moral arguments on both sides of that issue.
Would you like to repeal all of the strict gun laws that Democrats passed or just certain ones?
"Well the ones that the Governor’s signed were pretty ill conceived and the Sheriffs tried to tell him they couldn’t enforce them. The high capacity magazines is a problem but so is the universal background check because the private part of the private sales. I’ve asked the sheriffs how do you regulate this and they throw up their hands and say 'I don’t know.'"
Is there anything beyond the gun stuff that you’d also want to repeal, or any other regulation?
"Why do we have to regulate the capacity of toilets? That’s just one of the many ridiculous examples of government sticking their nose in our very personal business, in this case where they really don’t belong."
