DENVER — A recall campaign submitted stacks of petitions Monday to oust Colorado Senate President John Morse in what could become a national referendum on gun rights.

Organizers said they turned in more than 16,000 signatures, well in excess of the 7,178 valid signatures needed to force the recall and even more than the 13,866 votes received by Mr. Morse in the 2010 election.

“It just goes to show how interested people are in making sure Morse is recalled,” said recall organizer Rob Harris.

Mr. Morse, a Democrat from Colorado Springs, became a recall target for his role in pushing three gun-control measures signed by the governor in March. Another recall effort against Democratic state Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo is scheduled to submit petitions June 10.

The Secretary of State’s office has 15 business days to verify the signatures. If the recall effort meets the threshold, Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper will be charged with calling a special election or placing the recall on the November ballot.

Any recall election is expected to draw national interest from groups on both sides of the firearms debate.

The Washington-based Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee fired off a statement Monday describing organizers as “extremists in Colorado who want to waste hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.”

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