Second Amendment Resolutions Add Emphasis to Adage That ‘All Politics is Local’

U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- Last September, AmmoLand hosted one of my articles about a resolution being considered by the Halifax County Board of Supervisors to support a local militia. The move was in response to unprecedented gun grabs being enacted in Virginia and was one of a number of responses that include establishing what are being called “Second Amendment sanctuaries.” The Halifax resolution didn’t go forward due to self-imposed ignorance and gutlessness on the part of a critical mass of supervisors, and predictable misrepresentation and fear-mongering by the media.

A reader recently forwarded links to me pertaining to some additional county militia resolutions.

One was a resolution approved in December 2019 by the Amherst County Board of Supervisors that declared “the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms … must be respected, celebrated and upheld; urged the state and federal governments not to pass further infringements  and “burdens”; expressed “intent to take lawful actions to protect and support the rights of its citizens [and] not to aid in unconstitutional efforts to restrict these rights”; and “oppose… any provision, law or regulation that may impose additional regulatory burdens or result in mandates … to expend additional public funds on enforcement or administration of such laws, or to require constitutional officers of the locality to do so…”

The second link my correspondent provided went further, a May 2, 2020 resolution (scroll to pg. 8) adopted by another Board of Supervisors  “recognizing the militia within the county of Bedford pursuant to the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and article I, section 13 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia.” Cutting to the chase, here’s what they resolve to do:

“[W]e express our intent to uphold and protect the Second Amendment and Article I, §13 rights … and to prepare for service or to serve as a member of the Militia in Bedford County; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in order to support the Militia, enhance the safety and security of the citizens of Bedford County and establish, as our founders intended, a barrier against a tyrannical government, the Board hereby expresses its intent to:

(1) Decline to expend county resources for any effort to enforce unconstitutional laws enacted after January 20, 2020 restricting ownership and use of firearms that are in common use … required for self-defense by individual citizens or for service to the community as part of the Militia in Bedford County.

(2) Recognize the right … to assemble and train to arms for service individually or in groups … in the event they are called or ordered out for lawful purposes …

(3) Support opportunities for law-abiding citizens to assemble for recreational and civic purposes and train to arms … that enhance the individual citizen’s ability to defend himself, his family, his community; and the Militia’s ability to respond effectively to a crisis.

…the Board hereby declares our intent to oppose all unconstitutional restrictions on the Bill of Rights and specifically the Second Amendment to the U. S. Constitution and Article I, §13 of the Constitution of Virginia through such legal means as may be expedient, including, without limitation, legal process.

That’s better. It goes beyond “Second Amendment Sanctuary” declarations and recognizes the purposes and the right of citizens to train and to possess the minimal type of weaponry needed for performing Militia duty (we are, after all, basically talking semiautos here). The ornery among us (OK, me), might point out that some of us may be ineligible for the “law-abiding” qualifier because we refuse to comply with existing disarmament edicts and opt to retain banned firearms, magazines, and the like in defiance of such blatant and arrogant infringements.

And then there’s the problem of “existing law” in states like Virginia, which essentially declare:

“Groups of armed individuals that engage in paramilitary activity or law enforcement functions without being called forth by a governor or the federal government and without reporting to any government authority are acting as unauthorized private militias.”

They’ll need to take care and especially be on guard against CIs/provocateurs trying to lure them into violation traps.

It’s nice to see more counties and states waking up to the existential “obey or be destroyed” threat that the violence monopolists are forcing on gun owners. It’s great to see so many movements turning the “sanctuary” maneuver adopted by the left to impede immigration law enforcement around and using it to resist the evisceration of what founder Tench Coxe called “the birthright of an American.”

Here’s what they don’t do, at least until now: They don’t actually enforce rights, which if you think about it, is the sworn duty of every “law enforcer.” They might not help the feds or the state rape a citizen of his rights, but they don’t stop them from the act, either.

Daniel Horowitz at The Blaze notes that Newton County, Missouri aims to change that. Their commission not only declares federal infringements invalid, but it also criminalizes their enforcement and authorizes the arrest of agents:

That one has some teeth in it. It also marks the county, the commissioners, and the sheriff as cancel culture targets for advancing such an ordinance, and as actual targets if they attempt to enforce it.

Now, how about a Bedford-type Militia resolution to supplement this and cement a partnership with the citizens they serve? And how about if the movement grows? That’s where the adage “In unity there is strength” comes in, and more importantly, where YOU come in.

Horowitz lets us know about the website SanctuaryCounties.com, where we can find out about similar efforts in our areas of operation, and further points us to the Constitution Action Network, “for people of the same state and county to meet, collaborate, and raise awareness of the power of state and local government to interpose against the growing list of blatant constitutional violations and extra-lawful lawmaking…”

Former House Speaker Tip O’Neill once observed that “All politics is local.” It’s easy to see, especially in “Blue States” dominated by high population density urban areas, how citizens in “flyover/drive-through” country can feel like their voices will never be heard and that it’s useless to even try. When we get closer to home, our impact becomes stronger, especially if we involve ourselves in what the Democrats know to be effective, but which far too many gun owners seem unwilling to even try: Organizing.

Ideally, we should be working toward all three goals: A Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution, a Militia resolution, and a Second Amendment enforcement bill. I urge you to find out what’s going on where you live, if productive organizing looks feasible there, and what you need to do to be a part of it.

About David Codrea:

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

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