I already think of Wyoming as a Second Amendment Sanctuary state, given the fact that lawmakers there have embraced constitutional carry and have rejected calls for gun control measures like red flag laws, but commissioners in one county are making it official.
Sweetwater County is the latest Second Amendment Sanctuary in the United States after a unanimous vote on Tuesday.
Commissioner Wally Johnson presented the resolution, saying it is “about time” they make this decision. He said Wyoming is number one in the country for gun ownership and there is a great deal of support in the community for this county to be a sanctuary county.
The resolution says that The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of our nation, and that the Second Amendment grants the right of the people to keep and bear arms, and that right shall not be infringed.
The meeting was conducted via video conference, with the public able to watch the meeting online and make comments either via email or over the phone. As we’ve seen in most communities that have adopted Second Amendment Sanctuary measures, opposition was few and far between.
The text of the resolution is similar to language passed by hundreds of municipalities and counties from coast to coast over the past two years, and while it’s more symbolism than substance, the Sweetwater Second Amendment Sanctuary language does make clear that the local government doesn’t plan to take any action that would violate the rights of residents to keep and bear arms.
Sweetwater County may soon be joined by Teton County in declaring their support for the Second Amendment. Members of the Jackson Hole Tea Party have been urging their commissioners to take that step, though at least one elected official says there’s no need to make a proclamation.
“The storm is approaching from the east and the west,” Bob Culver of the Jackson Hole Tea Party said, addressing commissioners in March. “It will get here.”
Culver said a wave of anti-gun sentiment and regulation fomenting on the coasts will eventually reach Wyoming. To stem that tide, he and the Tea Party asked commissioners to discuss and ultimately pass a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution. That would affirm the county’s commitment to upholding gun rights in the face of a perceived threat of firearm restrictions at a state and federal level. If the county did so, it would join municipalities across the country that have adopted ordinances refusing to enforce firearm rule-making viewed as an infringement on the second amendment.
The measure, however, is not likely to gain traction locally.
Teton County Board of County Commissioners Chair Natalia D. Macker said elected officials weren’t intending to consider the Tea Party’s resolution.
“I don’t see it being put on an agenda,” she said. “It’s a very charged subject, obviously.”
On Tuesday, we noted that the coronavirus pandemic may have slowed the number of new Second Amendment Sanctuaries, but even the stay-at-home orders and limited public meetings haven’t managed to stop the movement completely. With as many as one million new gun owners throughout the United States, the movement could actually see a surge in the weeks and months ahead, as gun owners and Americans interested in exercising their Second Amendment rights watch politicians like Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva do everything they can to prevent people from lawfully purchasing firearms and ammunition during the current pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic won’t be with us forever, but our right to keep and bear arms isn’t going anywhere.
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