  We consider the consequences of gravitational wave recoil for unified models
of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Spatial oscillations of supermassive black
holes (SMBHs) around the cores of galaxies following gravitational wave (GW)
recoil imply that the SMBHs spend a significant fraction of time off-nucleus,
at scales beyond that of the molecular obscuring torus. Assuming reasonable
distributions of recoil velocities, we compute the off-core timescale of
(intrinsically type-2) quasars. We find that roughly one-half of major mergers
result in a SMBH being displaced beyond the torus for a time of 30 Myr or more,
comparable to quasar activity timescales. Since major mergers are most strongly
affected by GW recoil, our results imply a deficiency of type 2 quasars in
comparison to Seyfert 2 galaxies. Other consequences of the recoil oscillations
for the observable properties of AGNs are also discussed.
