North Carolina county declares itself a ‘gun sanctuary’

  Over the last few years we have seen numerous cities declare themselves sanctuary cities, meaning they would not enforce Federal immigration laws. It has become a growing trend especially as Donald Trump tries to crack down on illegal immigration.

  Of course states are not supposed to be able to pick and choose which Federal laws they will enforce and which ones they will not, South Carolina tried this once and it did not end so well. (Although I myself believe states should have more autonomy in most areas.)

  We have also seen states loosening marijuana laws in violation of Federal law so this has become a trend. And the latest trend is counties which are declaring themselves to be “sanctuary counties” which will not enforce Federal gun laws they deem are unconstitutional.

  According to this story a North Carolina county is the latest to declare itself a “gun sanctuary.” Here is more:

Cherokee County in North Carolina is the latest locality in the country to take a page from the illegal alien sanctuary movement and declare itself a “gun sanctuary.”

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of the measure, which is largely symbolic.

“Therefore, the Cherokee County Government will not authorize or appropriate government funds, resources, employees, agencies, contractors, buildings, detention centers or offices for the purpose of enforcing or assisting in the enforcement of any element of such acts, laws, orders, mandates, rules or regulations, that infringe on the right by the people to keep and bear arms as described and defined in detail above.”

Officials cite similar ordinances in Oregon as a reference. The declaration, which passed last week, is considered essentially symbolic.

The Cherokee Scout reported that the county’s decision to refuse to implement federal laws that do not comport with its own policies bears some similarities to the concept of sanctuary cities refusing to enforce federal immigration policies.

As I wrote above, this is becoming a trend:

There are about 60 counties and towns across the country where local governments have expressed their preference not to enforce federal gun laws if they conflict with their idea of the Second Amendment.

Counties in Illinois, Washington, Oregon and New Mexico have declared gun sanctuaries, according to Reuters, in response to legislation they believe is an infringement on the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. All four states have Democratic majorities and governorships.

Sixty-three municipalities in Illinois have passed some type of measure and more are likely, according to Dave Campbell, a member of the board of Effingham County, Illinois, in an interview with Reuters. “If they want to have their own laws, that’s fine. Don’t shove them on us down here,” Campbell said.

Half of the counties in Washington state are prepared to declare sanctuaries in response to Initiative 1639, which raised the minimum age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle to 21, and increased background checks and the waiting period, according to Reuters. Five counties have passed actual resolutions. Eight counties in Oregon and 25 in New Mexico have passed measures to support sheriffs who defy gun control legislation.

Organizers are also working with other states, having formed a friendly coalition to share resources and strategy with California, New York, Iowa and Idaho, according to Reuters.

  Democrats–who suddenly have discovered the Constitution since Donald Trump began using Executive power but were silent when Barack Obama did the same–are sure to claim this is a violation of the Supremacy Clause but they should be reminded that so then would be sanctuary cities. You cannot have it both ways.

    The article linked to above admits this is largely a symbolic vote however it is part of a larger movement in regards to gun rights and the Second Amendment. We are seeing more and more states passing Constitutional carry laws and currently we are up to 15 states  and hopefully many more will follow.

malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium