America's Second Amendment Sanctuary Movement Is Alive and Well

Counties in Wisconsin, Florida, Virginia, Arizona, and Texas became part of a growing "Second Amendment sanctuary" movement this month. The phrase "Second Amendment sanctuary" is an umbrella term used to describe a jurisdiction that passes a resolution declaring that restrictive gun control laws another legislative body passes are unconstitutional and will not be enforced there. The concept is an adaptation of the immigration "sanctuary city" movement, in which some cities and counties (and now whole states) generally decline to ask residents about their immigration status or assist the federal government in enforcing immigration laws. The resolutions can vary, but generally, Second Amendment sanctuaries refuse to dedicate resources to enforcing things like "red flag" laws and bans on certain weapons. "This draws a line in the sand. It doesn't mince words. And I hope it sends a message to what can be described as the authoritarian control freaks," said Lake County, Fla., Commissioner Josh Blake (R) when Lake County leaders voted on Nov. 5 to become Florida's first Second Amendment sanctuary. "[They] see it as their jobs to forcibly disarm their fellow citizens, and with all due respect, that won't be happening in Lake County," Blake added, referencing former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke's infamous, "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47," line. Second Amendment sanctuaries are still a relatively new phenomenon, but the idea has caught on quickly within the gun community. The first Second Amendment sanctuary county-wide movement emerged last year after the election of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) allowed Democrats to propose sweeping gun reform in the state legislature without fear of their bills getting vetoed. Some of the proposed measures included raising the state's minimum age for firearm ownership from 18 to 21 and prohibiting civilian ownership of certain types of weapons and body armor. These measures prompted Effingham County in southern Illinois to pass a resolution declaring all of the Democrats' proposals unconstitutional. Thus was the Second Amendment sanctuary movement born. Some solidly red states, like Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, and Kansas, had already passed state-wide measures declaring that the states will not comply with any federal gun laws that they view as unconstitutional before the movement officially began. For example, Idaho's 2009 resolution specifically opposes the establishment of a federal gun licensing procedure...MORE