The Past, Present, & Future Of The 2A Sanctuary Movement

I’m doing something a little different with today’s Bearing Arms’ Cam & Co. You won’t get an armed citizen story or a good deed today, because instead we’re examining the fast-growing Second Amendment Sanctuary movement by talking with some of the politicians who’ve led the charge in their communities.

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Joining me first is Pittsylvania County, Virginia Supervisor Ronald Scearce, who introduced a resolution approved Tuesday night with a crowd of supporters in attendance.

Citizens who attended the standing-room-only meeting to witness what some of the supervisors called a ‘historic’ vote for the county cheered and applauded the unanimous vote.

“What we need to put in our message to leaders at the state and federal level is to look at history, and realize, that one thing every dictator has done is to take away gun rights,” supervisor Bob Warren said.

Effingham County, Illinois board member David Campbell, who was one of the first in the country to push a 2A Sanctuary measure, also joins me on today’s program to talk about how folks can work with local officials to push similar resolutions where they live. In Illinois, more than 70 counties have passed resolutions, along with several townships as well. Importantly, in Effingham and many other counties, it’s not just board members getting on board. Several state’s attorneys are also backing the measures, as are many county sheriffs.

Speaking of county sheriffs, Cibola County, New Mexico Sheriff Tony Mace joins me to talk about the power of the movement in pushing back against unconstitutional gun laws. Of eight gun control bills introduced in the Democrat-controlled New Mexico legislature last year, only two passed. Sheriff Mace believes that the grassroots pressure from Second Amendment sanctuaries forced lawmakers to take a second look at some of the items on their anti-gun wish list. Of course that doesn’t mean they’ve gone away entirely, and Sheriff Mace also talks with me about how the movement is likely to respond to the re-introduction of “red flag” bills and a proposed ban on semi-automatic rifles.

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I know I’ve been spending a lot of time covering the Second Amendment sanctuary movement recently, but there’s a good reason; I’ve never seen anything quite like it. This is a movement that’s spreading almost entirely through word-of-mouth and with local support, and it’s taking off like a prairie fire with more counties signing on by the day. It’s happening because of neighbors talking to neighbors, not lobbyists talking to legislators (which, by the way, is also very important), and it’s amazing to witness.

I have no idea what the movement will look like a year from now. It could splinter and remain a mosaic of local organizations autonomously pushing back against state and federal encroachment on the right to keep and bear arms, or it could coalesce into a new national movement with lots of local flavors but one overarching goal and coordination and support between the hundreds of Second Amendment sanctuaries around the nation.

One more note; yesterday on Bearing Arms I asked for your thoughts on the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement. Consider this a last call for reader input, and expect a piece laying out some of your opinions tomorrow on the website.

In the meantime, you can subscribe to Bearing Arms’ Cam & Co. at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Townhall.com’s podcast page. Thanks for watching, and listening, and be sure to share this episode with all of your Second Amendment-supporting friends. Let’s see if we can get a few more Second Amendment Sanctuaries inspired by what folks hear on today’s program!

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