Category Archives: Second Amendment

MADISON - Republican lawmakers are introducing new legislation that would decrease restrictions on firearms in Wisconsin by lowering the age to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon to 18 and allowing permit holders to have guns in vehicles on school grounds.

Both bills being circulated by Republican lawmakers for sponsorship in the state Legislature in recent weeks have been proposed before and likely will face hurdles under Gov. Tony Evers, who has said he supports the law as it's currently written.

Rep. Shae Sortwell, R-Two Rivers, said in an interview the bill to lower the age to obtain a concealed carry permit from 21 to 18 follows a recent federal appeals court ruling that said prohibitions on selling handguns to Americans under 21 violates the Second Amendment.

"The (ruling) made it pretty clear you can't make arbitrary laws that say one adult does not have the same rights as other adults," Sortwell said.

A divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, said July 13 that a 1968 law that banned the sale of handguns to people under 21 years old but permitted the sale of shotguns and rifles to those same peoplewas an arbitrary restriction that put 18- to 20-year-olds in second-class status under the Second Amendment. The decision is likely to be appealed and may reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

"When do constitutional rights vest? At 18 or 21? 16 or 25? Why not 13 or 33?" wrote Judge Julius Richardson, nominatedto the court by former President Donald Trump. "In the law, a line must sometimes be drawn. But there must be a reason why constitutional rights cannot be enjoyed until a certain age."

Richardson'sopinion drew a criticaldissent from Judge James Wynn, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama.

"The majority's decision to grant the gun lobby a victory in a fight it lost on Capitol Hill more than fifty years ago is not compelled by law," Wynn wrote. "Nor is it consistent with the proper role of the federal judiciary in our democratic system."

Sortwell sees Wisconsin's concealed-carry law that was implemented in 2011 and requires permit-holders to be 21 as having similar problems.

"Individuals who are old enough to legally own and possess a handgun are also old enough to obtain a concealed-carry permit, and it is our obligation as the state legislature to ensure equality before the law," Sortwell wrote in a memo to colleagues seeking support for the legislation.

"If this is about self defense, why should my 18-, 19-, 20-year-olddaughter be more at risk to criminals than my 21-year-olddaughter?" he said in an interview last week.

Attorney General Josh Kaul, through a spokeswoman, did not immediately respond to whether he agreed with Sortwell's interpretation of the ruling.

A spokeswoman for Evers also did not immediately respond to whether the governor would sign the proposed legislation. While running for governor in 2017, Evers said he would act as a "goalie" for similar proposals being introduced at the time.

Kids in Wisconsin dont need more guns near or around schools, said Evers, who was state superintendent at the time, about a similar bill that was ultimately unsuccessful.

At that time, Republican lawmakers were debating legislation that would allow Wisconsin residents tocarry concealed firearms without getting training or state permits, and would have endedthe states ban on tasers and allow some people to bring guns onto school grounds.

"We will be introducing legislation to ensure that parents who hold a concealed carry permit dont accidentally violate the law when picking up or dropping off their child in their school parking lot," Rep. Rob Brooks, R-Saukville, and Sen. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, said earlier this month in a memo to colleagues seeking support for the legislation.

The bill would require the vehicle be locked and the firearm be out of sight.

During the 2017 debate on the more expansive bill, the Wisconsin Association of School Boards at the time had adopted a resolution that stated the group opposed any legislation that would expand the ability to carry firearms on school grounds beyond sworn law enforcement officers.

"Historically, the majority of school board members have expressed a belief that guns and children are not a good mix," Dan Rossmiller, a lobbyist for WASB, said Monday. "While we are aware of concerns from parents who hold concealed carry permits who may violate the law when picking up or dropping off their child, our members have not responded to the introduction of previous, similar legislative proposals by changing the existing WASB resolution. For that reason, I expect our position, as it has been in the past, would be to oppose this new legislation."

Critics ofthe state's concealed carry law andMilwaukee Police officials also have expressed concerns about criminals obtaining permits or those without criminal records carrying firearms for criminals.

In 2015, formerMilwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn pointed to a permit holder who had a habit of turning up at shooting and homicide scenesserving as a human holster which resulted in charges against him.

Jim Palmer, executive director for the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, said Monday his members have yet to evaluate the new proposals.

"When it comes to gun control issues, our organization has generally been split on those, largely due to distinctions between officers that serve rural areas and those that serve in more urban areas," he said, speaking generally. "In our experience, urban officers tend to be more concerned about gun violence than their rural counterparts, who dont experience the same degree of gun crimes."

John Fritze of USA Today contributed to this report.

Contact Molly Beckat molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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Bills would lower concealed carry age to 18, allow permit holders to have guns in cars on school grounds - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It looks like were getting hit with another wave of COVID-19 cases.

Looking at the international totals for the virus since all this began in late 2019, a total of 4,154,327 people have died among a total case number of 193,533,900. Those numbers are from the Worldometer website that tracks these totals based on reports from official reporting agencies from countries all over the world, and those numbers are as of Friday morning.

A quick bit of work on my calculator tells me thats a death rate of about 2.15 percent among cases.

But lets think about this another way for a minute.

The population of all of rural West Tennessee gathered for some reason in Downtown Jackson. Thats between 600,000 and 700,000 people packed in to hear a concert or watch fireworks or something like that. Well say 700,000 just to keep the numbers simple.

Were having fun. Everyone is enjoying themselves. And theres more than half a million of us packed into a fairly small area.

But then one person with a gun climbs on top of the New Southern Hotel (I just say that because its the tallest building in the area). He points down into the people and begins shooting.

If the shooter is going to kill people at a rate of 2.15 percent, hes going to get 15,050 of us. But theres no way that would happen because the 700,000 on the ground would never let it get that far.

A lot of us would scatter to get away from the gunfire or run for cover inside a building. But I also know were in Tennessee with more than half a million Tennesseans gathered together, so that means theres probably a lot more than 15,000 people who would be at this gathering exercising their Second Amendment rights in our open carry state in addition to all of the highly trained law enforcement officers and military members who would be at the gathering too.

So among those running for cover and those with guns pointing back at the shooter, precautions would no doubt be taken to make sure this shooter had as little of an impact as possible on the people gathered in Downtown Jackson before he was taken out either with a bullet from the ground or from people climbing the stairs to the roof and dealing with him personally.

We can take our precautions to mitigate the impact COVID-19 has on our local population here, but unfortunately those precautions arent as simple as running for cover or as romanticized as shooting a bad guy.

But we can still mitigate it.

Im hoping we can still get out and gather this time around, but how about we stay away from each other? Ive gotten to where Im shaking hands again when I greet people, but Im thinking Im personally dialing it back to a respectful fist bump for hopefully just a couple or a few weeks.

And keep the hands washed and sanitized too.

And according to our local healthcare leaders, the vaccine is doing its job. There is a 5 percent breakthrough rate for COVID-19, which isnt much bigger than breakthrough rates for other vaccines. But with all vaccines, while the biggest hope is to not get the illness, the secondary hope is that if a vaccinated person gets the virus, its impact is decreased severely, meaning they might not have any symptoms, but if they do, the chances of them needing to be hospitalized are decreased dramatically.

If you havent been vaccinated, call a healthcare provider you trust (an actual healthcare provider and not a meme or video you saw on social media) to get informed and make your decision.

But if youre not comfortable with the vaccine, please take other precautions to slow the spread and mitigate the impact locally.

Thats us taking care of each other just like a lot of us would want to do by taking out a shooter firing at a crowd of us.

Brandon Shields is the editor of The Jackson Sun. Reach him at bjshields@jacksonsun.com or at 731-425-9751. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at editorbrandon.

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Let's take care of each other and mitigate COVID-19 | Opinion - The Jackson Sun

The 2nd Amendment is uniquely American. It was the work of the Founding Fathers men who had to fight for their freedom from tyranny, and who intended for the means of that fight to never be taken away from American citizens. Here are our favorite quotes on the right to bear arms:

Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular and respected, is the right of the citizens to keep and bear arms. [...] the right of the citizens to bear arms is just one guarantee against arbitrary government and one more safeguard against a tyranny which now appears remote in America, but which historically has proved to be always possible.

The possession of arms by the people is the ultimate warrant that government governs only with the consent of the governed.

A man with a gun is a citizen. A man without a gun is a subject.

Arms are the only true badge of liberty. The possession of arms is the distinction of a free man from a slave.

A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves... and include all men capable of bearing arms.

Americans have the will to resist because you have weapons. If you don't have a gun, freedom of speech has no power.

Man has to wring Liberty not only from tyrants, but also from his fellow men who are not only unwilling to fight for it, but to let anyone else fight for it.

A mans rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.

Any single man must judge for himself whether circumstances warrant obedience or resistance to the commands of the civil magistrate; we are all qualified, entitled, and morally obliged to evaluate the conduct of our rulers This political judgement, moreover, is not simply or primarily a right, but like self preservation a duty to God. As such it is a judgment that men cannot part with according to the God and Nature.

The right of self defence is the first law of nature: in most governments it has been the study of rulers to confine this right within the narrowest limits possible. Wherever standing armies are kept up, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms is, under any colour or pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction.

No free government was ever founded, or ever preserved in its liberty, without uniting the characters of the citizen and soldier in those destined for the defence of the state. . . . Such are a well regulated militia, composed of the freeholders, citizen and husbandman, who take up arms to preserve their property, asindividuals,and their rights as freemen.

You know why there's a Second Amendment? In case the government fails to follow the first one.

Historical examination of the right to bear arms, from English antecedents to the drafting of the Second Amendment, bears proof that the right to bear arms has consistently been, and should still be, construed as an individual right.

In recent years it has been suggested that the Second Amendment protects the "collective" right of states to maintain militias, while it does not protect the right of "the people" to keep and bear arms. If anyone entertained this notion in the period during which the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were debated and ratified, it remains one of the most closely guarded secrets of the eighteenth century, for no known writing surviving from the period between 1787 and 1791 states such a thesis.

Foolish liberals who are trying to read the Second Amendment out of the Constitution by claiming it's not an individual right or that it's too much of a safety hazard dont see the danger of the big picture. They'recourting disaster by encouraging others to use the same means to eliminate portions of the Constitution they don't like.

If gun laws in fact worked, the sponsors of this type of legislation should have no difficulty drawing upon long lists of examples of criminal acts reduced by such legislation. That they cannot do so after a century and a half of trying -- that they must sweep under the rug the southern attempts at gun control in the 1870-1910 period, the northeastern attempts in the 1920-1939 period, the attempts at both Federal and State levels in 1965-1976 -- establishes the repeated, complete and inevitable failure of gun laws to control serious crime.

The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them.

The Second Amendment wasn't written so you can go hunting, it was to create a force to balance a tyrannical force here.

Let us hope our weapons are never needed but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws.

Nowhere else in the Constitution does a 'right' attributed to 'the people' refer to anything other than an individual right. What is more, in all six other provisions of the Constitution that mention 'the people,' the term unambiguously refers to all members of the political community, not an unspecified subset...The Second Amendment extends, prima facie, to all instruments that constitute bearable arms...The very text of the Second Amendment implicitly recognizes the pre-existence of the right and declares only that it shall not be infringed.'

Nowhere else in the Constitution does a right attributed to the people refer to anything other than an individual right.

[T]he enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table. These include the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home. Undoubtedly some think that the Second Amendment is outmoded in a society where our standing army is the pride of our Nation, where well-trained police forces provide personal security, and where gun violence is a serious problem. That is perhaps debatable, but what is not debatable is that it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.

By calling attention to a well-regulated militia for the security of the Nation, and the right of each citizen to keep and bear arms, our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fear of governmental tyranny, which gave rise to the 2nd amendment, will ever be a major danger to our Nation, the amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic military-civilian relationship, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason I believe the 2nd Amendment will always be important.

One of the ordinary modes, by which tyrants accomplish their purposes without resistance, is, by disarming the people, and making it an offense to keep arms.

As the Founding Fathers knew well, a government that does not trust its honest, law-abiding, taxpaying citizens with the means of self-defense is not itself worthy of trust. Laws disarming honest citizens proclaim that the government is the master, not the servant, of the people.

[The disarming of citizens] has a double effect, it palsies the hand and brutalizes the mind: a habitual disuse of physical forces totally destroys the moral [force]; and men lose at once the power of protecting themselves, and of discerning the cause of their oppression.

Whether the authorities be invaders or merely local tyrants, the effect of such [gun control] laws is to place the individual at the mercy of the state, unable to resist.

The right of self-defense is the first law of nature: in most governments it has been the study of rulers to confine this right within the narrowest limits possible. Wherever standing armies are kept up, and when the right of the people to keep and bear arms is, under any color or pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction.

To make inexpensive guns impossible to get is to say that you're putting a money test on getting a gun. It's racism in its worst form.

The biggest hypocrites on gun control are those who live in upscale developments with armed security guards -- and who want to keep other people from having guns to defend themselves. But what about lower-income people living in high-crime, inner city neighborhoods? Should such people be kept unarmed and helpless, so that limousine liberals can 'make a statement' by adding to the thousands of gun laws already on the books?

So, now it is ironic that the State whittles away at the right of its citizens to defend themselves from the possible oppression of their State.

The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.

A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.

It is interesting to hear certain kinds of people insist that the citizen cannot fight the government. This would have been news to the men of Lexington and Concord, as well as the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan. The citizen most certainly can fight the government, and usually wins when he tries. Organized national armies are useful primarily for fighting against other organized national armies. When they try to fight against the people, they find themselves at a very serious disadvantage. If you will just look around at the state of the world today, you will see that the guerillero has the upper hand. Irregulars usually defeat regulars, providing they have the will. Such fighting is horrible to contemplate, but will continue to dominate brute strength.

The tank, the B-52, the fighter-bomber, the state-controlled police and military are the weapons of dictatorship. The rifle is the weapon of democracy. Not for nothing was the revolver called an 'equalizer.'

When a government controls both the economic power of individuals and the coercive power of the state...this violates a fundamental rule of happy living: Never let the people with all the money and the people with all the guns be the same people.

Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Mao, Idi Amin, Castro, Pol Pot, all these monsters began by confiscating private arms, then literally soaking the earth with the blood of tens and tens of millions of their people...There can be no free speech, no freedom of the press, no freedom to protest, no freedom to worship your god, no freedom to speak your mind, no freedom from fear, no freedom for your children and for theirs, for anybody, anywhere, without the Second Amendment freedom to fight for it.

Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.

When the history of the 20th century is finally written, one of its key features will be the wanton slaughter of more than 170 million people, not in war, but by their own government. The governments that led in this slaughter are the former USSR (65 million) and the Peoples Republic of China (35-40 million). The point to remember is that these governments were the idols of America's leftists. Part of reason for these and other tyrannical successes was because the people were first disarmed.

Any unarmed people are slaves, or are subject to slavery at any given moment. If the guns are taken out of the hands of the people and only the pigs have guns, then it's off to the concentration camps, the gas chambers, or whatever the fascists in America come up with. One of the democratic rights of the United States, the Second Amendment to the Constitution, gives the people the right to bear arms. However, there is a greater right; the right of human dignity that gives all men the right to defend themselves.

There is no doubt in my mind that millions of lives could have been saved if the people were not "brainwashed" about gun ownership and had been well armed. ... Gun haters always want to forget the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, which is a perfect example of how a ragtag, half-starved group of Jews took 10 handguns and made asses out of the Nazis.

When only cops have guns, it's called a police state.

How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of.

Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary.

Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.

The danger (where there is any) from armed citizens, is only to the government, not to society; and as long as they have nothing to revenge in the government (which they cannot have while it is in their own hands) there are many advantages in their being accustomed to the use of arms, and no possible disadvantage.

War is just when it is necessary; arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms.

The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles.

It's a nasty truth, but those who seek to inflict harm are not fazed by gun controllers. I happen to know this from personal experience...You won't get gun control by disarming law-abiding citizens. There's only one way to get real gun control: Disarm the thugs and the criminals, lock them up, and if you don't actually throw away the key, at least lose it for a long time.

But to ban guns because criminals use them is to tell the innocent and law-abiding that their rights and liberties depend not on their own conduct, but on the conduct of the guilty and the lawless, and that the law will permit them to have only such rights and liberties as the lawless will allow.

Disarmament palsies the hand and brutalizes the mind; an habitual disuse of physical force totally destroys the moral; and men lose at once the power of protecting themselves, and of discerning the cause of their oppression.

When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred.

After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. I sure as hell wouldn't want to live in a society where the only people allowed guns are the police and the military.

An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.

A Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home, and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give.

Strict gun laws are about as effective as strict drug laws...It pains me to say this, but the NRA seems to be right: The cities and states that have the toughest gun laws have the most murder and mayhem.

Those, who have the command of the arms in a country are masters of the state, and have it in their power to make what revolutions they please. [Thus,] there is no end to observations on the difference between the measures likely to be pursued by a minister backed by a standing army, and those of a court awed by the fear of an armed people.

Taking my gun away because I might shoot someone is like cutting my tongue out because I might yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater.

False is the idea of utility that sacrifices a thousand real advantages for one imaginary or trifling inconvenience; that would take fire from men because it burns, and water because one may drown in it; that has no remedy for evils except destruction. The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Can it be supposed that those who have the courage to violate the most sacred laws of humanity, the most important of the code, will respect the less important and arbitrary ones, which can be violated with ease and impunity, and which, if strictly obeyed, would put an end to personal liberty...and subject innocent persons to all the vexations that the guilty alone ought to suffer? Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.

I would like to see every woman know how to handle firearms as naturally as they know how to handle babies.

No kingdom can be secured otherwise than by arming the people. The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave. He, who has nothing, and who himself belongs to another, must be defended by him, whose property he is, and needs no arms. But he, who thinks he is his own master, and has what he can call his own, ought to have arms to defend himself, and what he possesses; else he lives precariously, and at discretion.

The police cannot protect the citizen at this stage of our development, and they cannot even protect themselves in many cases. It is up to the private citizen to protect himself and his family, and this is not only acceptable, but mandatory.

Self defense is not only our right, it is our duty.

I am the first responder because my only other option is to be the first victim.

Want social security? Invest in lead.

You can have my guns, bullets first then the bayonet.

'A well-crafted pepperoni pizza, being necessary to the preservation of a diverse menu, the right of the people to keep and cook tomatoes, shall not be infringed.' I would ask you to try to argue that this statement says that only pepperoni pizzas can keep and cook tomatoes, and only well-crafted ones at that. This is basically what the so-called states rights people argue with respect to the well-regulated militia, vs. the right to keep and bear arms.

I've got a firm policy on gun control; If there's a gun around, I want to be the one controlling it.

A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition.

Get yourself a Glock and lose that nickel-plated sissy pistol.

Don't think of it as `gun control,' think of it as `victim disarmament.' If we make enough laws, we can all be criminals.

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2nd Amendment Quotes: Quotes About Guns and Freedom

This session, the South Carolina General Assembly passed the strongest Second Amendment legislation in the last 25 years. Governor Henry McMaster signed it into law promptly. Unfortunately, those who are supposed to be working towards the common goal of protecting and advancing Second Amendment rights for law-abiding citizens are spreading lies against the lawmakers who were instrumental in passing this bill. These legislators were also critical in advancing the ultimate goal of constitutional carry in South Carolina.

House Bill 3094 made South Carolina the 46th state where citizens may open carry a handgun, and eliminated the $50 fee for a Concealed Weapons Permit. These are important reforms that allow law-abiding citizens to carry a handgun in the manner of their choosing that best suits them, and eliminate a cost barrier to exercising this right.

The representatives ensured that the House concurred with the Senate to guarantee the Second Amendment advances in South Carolina. The House already passed H. 3096, the constitutional carry bill supported by these legislators. Though the Senate did not take action on it in 2021, it currently remains alive in the Senate for next year.

NRA once again thanks the representatives that supported constitutional carry by voting in favor of H. 3096. If your state representative voted for H. 3096, you may click the button below to thank them too.

Rita Allison, F. Lucas Atkinson, William Bailey, Nathan Ballentine, Bruce Bannister, Linda Bennett, Jeffrey Bradley, Thomas Brittain, J. Mike Burns, Jerry Carter, Micah Caskey, William Chumley, Neal Collins, Bobby Cox, Westley Cox, Heather Crawford, Vic Dabney, Sylleste Davis, Jason Elliott, Cal Forrest, Russell Fry, Craig Gagnon, Leon Gilliam, Patrick Haddon, Kevin Hardee, William Herbkersman, W. Lee Hewitt, Jonathon Hill, David Hiott, Chip Huggins, Max Hyde, Jeffrey Johnson, Stewart Jones, Jay Jordan, Mandy Kimmons, Randy Ligon, Steven Long, Phillip Lowe, Jay Lucas, R. Josiah Magnuson, Rick Martin, RJ May, D. Ryan McCabe, John McCravy, Sandy McGarry, Tim McGinnis, Travis Moore, Adam Morgan, Dennis Moss, Steve Moss, Christopher Murphy, Brandon Newton, Weston Newton, Roger Nutt, Melissa Oremus, William Sandifer, Murrell Smith, Garry Smith, Mark Smith, Tommy Stringer, Bill Taylor, Anne Thayer, Ashley Trantham, John West, W. Brian White, William Whitmire, Mark Willis, Christopher Wooten, and Richard Yow.

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South Carolina: Correcting Record on Second Amendment Package

The vast majority of county sheriffs in Washington have signed a new letter promising to uphold your constitutional rights. But it is up to the sheriffs to decide what is constitutional and whats not.

Its an anxious time for those who are worried about retaining their gun rights. An anxious time for those unhappy that COVID-19 safety rules may restrict individual freedoms.

Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett led the effort that got 37 of Washingtons 39 sheriffs to sign a letter pledging to abide by their oath of office.

The message we want to send is one, is we want to minimize their fear, and we want to put them at ease, he said.

In the letter, the sheriffs publicly reassert our individual and collective duty to defend all of the constitutional rights of our citizens.

But during the pandemic, some sheriffs have refused to enforce COVID-19 safety mandates.

And in the past few years, some sheriffs have publicly announced they wont enforce newly passed gun safety laws.

The sheriffs letter explicitly calls out gun right, stating, We individually and collectively pledge to do everything within our power to steadfastly protect the Second Amendment and all other individual rights.

Burnett said constitutionality should be decided by the courts, but there could be a time down the road where the sheriffs may have to decide as the chief law enforcement executives of their counties that they would say this is what we are or we arent going to enforce.

We spoke with constitutional lawyer Jeffery Needle about the letter. Its dangerous because it shows an extreme bias by the sheriffs of Washington state in favor of Second Amendment rights.

Needle said the letter implies that sheriffs have power that the law does not give them.

They dont have some sort of unilateral power to determine which legislation is constitutional, which is not. And enforce only those that they believe are constitutional, he added.

Burnett said there was no one piece of legislation that prompted the letter. This year, the Legislature passed a new law banning the open carry of weapons at permitted demonstrations. Only the sheriffs of King and Kitsap counties did not sign the letter. Both are in transitional roles. The King County sheriff will become an appointed position at the end of the year.

Sheriffs' letter pledges support of Second Amendment and other rights

Sheriffs' letter pledges support of Second Amendment and other rights

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Sheriffs letter pledges support of Second Amendment and other rights - KIRO Seattle

A letter released last week and signed by 37 of the states 39 sheriffs affirming their commitment to steadfastly protect'' the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, along with other individual rights,does not bear the signature of Kitsap County's interim sheriff.

However, John Gese, who is hoping for the appointment to fill out the remainder of former Sheriff Gary Simpson's term after Gese servedasundersheriff, said if he had permanent status he would have likely signed the letter from the Washington State Sheriffs' Association.

If appointed sheriff I would feel some motivation to go ahead and sign it, said Gese. He said he was committed to upholding all the amendments of the Constitution, but would have wanted to allay fears of gun owners who feel the right to keep and bear arms has been threatened.

I dont see the government coming around and taking guns, but that is a concern with our people out there, Gese said.

Since Simpson filed as a Democrat and left office early to retire at the end of last month, the county Democratic party will forward to county commissioners a list of three possible replacements. Commissioners will pick a candidate to serve until the end of 2022, the remainder of Simpsons term. Commissioners must interview and select a replacement sheriff 60 days from July 1, the day after Simpson's last day.

If Gese is ultimately selected, despite not yet standing for election, he would have the same status as though he were elected.

Though meaningful gun control measures have not fared well at the national level, voters in Washington state -- and in Kitsap County -- have supported strengthening restrictions on gun ownership.

In 2018 about 59 percent of voters statewide -- and about 57 percent of Kitsap County voters -- approved Initiative 1639. This measure added to state law multiple restrictions on buying and owning firearms. Among them are the addition of background checks, age limits, increased waiting periods and storage requirements.

After the success of the measure at the polls, some sheriffs and police chiefs voiced their opposition and announced they would not enforce the new law. This drewa rebuke from state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who noted that state laws are presumed constitutional until struck down in court, according to a Ballotpedia entry on the measure.

"If you personally disagree with Initiative 1639, seek to change it. Or file a lawsuit challenging it," Ferguson wrote in a statement."But do not substitute your personal views over that of the people. As public officers, our duty is to abide by the will of the people we serve, and implement and enforce the laws they adopt."

The statement includes the signature of Mason County Sheriff Casey Salisbury and Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer.

"We hereby recognize a significant principle underlying the Second Amendment: The right to keep and bear arms is indispensable to the existence of a free people," the letter says.

Beside Gese, the only other county sheriff missing from the list is King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht. Though Johanknecht is elected, King County wont have an elected sheriff for long. Last year voters there approved a measure to have the county council appoint and oversee the countys sheriff, much like city governments hire and oversee police chiefs.

Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett, who serves as vice-president of the Washington State Sheriffs' Association and drafted the letter, said he heard from constituents concerned about threats to gun rights. After seeing a similar letter signed by the sheriffs in the state of Utah he got the idea to replicate it in Washington state.

People want to know their concerns are being heard, Burnett said.

The statement contains religious overtones, stating that the Constitution is divinely inspired.

Further, the sheriffs wrote: We understand the destructive influences currently existing in our country will only relent when women and men everywhere genuinely care for each other. We must rely on Providence and care deeply about preserving the Constitution and its freedoms in order to be a strong and prosperous people.

Burnett said this statement was meant to oppose further gun control measures. He said the states sheriffs did not object to the religious language -- though he said others have attacked him over the language and accused of imposing his beliefs on others.

Burnett denied this, saying the assertions regarding God and the Constitution were supported by the writings and speeches of the framers of the Constitution and that, further, the First Amendment meant that all religious expression would be protected.

Sheriffs dont always agree on everything, Burnett said, but he said there was solidarity over the letter.

Continued here:
Kitsap's interim sheriff didn't sign letter supporting Second Amendment, but said he would have - Kitsap Sun

WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) in filing anamicusbrief forNew York StateRifle& Pistol Association v. Bruen,a case currently pending beforetheU.S. Supreme Court.

Legislators whether in Albany or Washington, D.C. have neither the power nor the authority to second-guess the policy judgments made by the Framers and enshrined in the Constitution,the senators wrote.The Second Amendments guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms cannot be second-guessed by legislators across the country who simply disagree with the choice the Framers made.

The brief argues New Yorks laws which make it extremely difficult to carry a firearm outside the home violate the Second Amendments guarantee of the right to bear arms. It also emphasizes that by including the right to bear arms in the Constitution, the Framers made a policy choice and explicitly removed from state and federal legislators the ability to second guess that choice.

Senators Cramer and Cruz are joined on theamicusbrief by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Ron Johnson (R-WI), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Jim Risch (R-ID), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), andThom Tillis (R-NC).

Original post:
Sen. Cramer, Colleagues File on Amicus Brief to Protect Americans' Second Amendment Rights - Kevin Cramer

(KIRO 7)

The vast majority of county sheriffs in Washington have signed a new letter promising to uphold your constitutional rights. But it is up to the sheriffs to decide what is constitutional and whats not.

Its an anxious time for those who are worried about retaining their gun rights. An anxious time for those unhappy that COVID-19 safety rules may restrict individual freedoms.

Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett led the effort that got 37 of Washingtons 39 sheriffs to sign a letter pledging to abide by their oath of office.

The message we want to send is, one, is we want to minimize their fear, and we want to put them at ease, he said.

In the letter, the sheriffs publicly reassert our individual and collective duty to defend all of the constitutional rights of our citizens.

But during the pandemic, some sheriffs have refused to enforce COVID-19 safety mandates. And in the past few years, some sheriffs have publicly announced they wont enforce newly passed gun safety laws.

The sheriffs letter explicitly calls out gun rights, stating, We individually and collectively pledge to do everything within our power to steadfastly protect the Second Amendment and all other individual rights.

Burnett said constitutionality should be decided by the courts, but there could be a time down the road where the sheriffs may have to decide as the chief law enforcement executives of their counties that they would say this is what we are or we arent going to enforce.

KIRO 7 TV spoke with constitutional lawyer Jeffery Needle about the letter.

Its dangerous because it shows an extreme bias by the sheriffs of Washington state in favor of Second Amendment rights, he said.

Needle said the letter implies that sheriffs have power that the law does not give them.

They dont have some sort of unilateral power to determine which legislation is constitutional, which is not. And enforce only those that they believe are constitutional, he added.

Burnett said there was no one piece of legislation that prompted the letter. This year, the Legislature passed a new law banning the open carry of weapons at permitted demonstrations.

Only the sheriffs of King and Kitsap counties did not sign the letter. Both are in transitional roles. The King County Sheriff will become an appointed position at the end of the year.

Written by KIRO 7 TV reporter Essex Porter

Here is the original post:
Letter from 37 Washington sheriffs letter pledges support of 2nd Amendment, other rights - MyNorthwest.com

So far, two Iowa counties have passed resolutions saying county employees can't enforce state or federal laws infringing on a person's 2nd Amendment rights.

JOHNSTON, Iowa At CrossRoads Shooting Sports in Johnston, Ethan Settle takes pride in educating people on how to safely use firearms.

"My absolute favorite customer to deal with is that first-time gun owner," Settle said. "And we can talk them through the process of owning that."

The store manager also says employees help educate patrons about their Second Amendment rights.

"We try to take a whole approach to firearms ownership, so you do it responsibly, safely, have fun, but know what your rights and your political duties constitutionally are," Settle said.

Nowadays, the conversations behind the counter at CrossRoads have included the topic of several Iowa counties' move to become 2nd Amendment Sanctuaries.

Recently, both Jasper and Hardin counties signed resolutions to oppose "any legislation that would infringe upon the constitutional right of the people...to keep and bear arms."

That means county employees cannot enforce state or federal laws infringing on a person's Second Amendment rights, but it only applies to future laws--not existing ones.

As several other counties, including Madison, look to sign similar resolutions, Settle applauds Iowans who have spoken directly to their counties' boards of supervisors to advocate for them.

"The issue of sanctuary counties has been around for a number of years now and its really picked up speed since the November election, and just a lot about people being engaged with their local county governments," Settle said. "What I think is cool about it, is its people getting out, voicing their concerns with their local county governments."

The Iowa Firearms Coalition provides templates for Iowa counties to draft resolutions protecting the Second Amendment. Chair Michael Ware says the nonprofit aims to be a resource to educate Iowans on the issue.

"We say, heres the template, heres some working language, these are some [recommendations and] best practices," Ware said. "They're saying, listen. This civil right, we care about. And we know that its one that gets curtailed, chipped away at, and discussed a lot."

A spokesperson for the ACLU of Iowa said it was not clear from the facts available on how the sanctuary status could be interpreted as a civil rights issue.

Moms Demand Action, a group that works to end gun violence, also weighed in on the matter. In an email, they sent the following statement:

Local politicians dont get to pick and choose which laws to enforce. These resolutions are largely symbolic and wont directly interfere with the enforcement of critical gun safety laws its clear that they are nothing more than a political game by local politicians to signal their support for the gun lobby, said Traci Kennedy, Chapter Leader of the Iowa chapter of Moms Demand Action. Instead of passing confusing resolutions, our leaders should focus on solutions that will help keep our families safe and pass laws and resolutions that acknowledge and address the crisis of gun violence in our state.

The Madison County Board of Supervisors will discuss a similar resolution at their meeting July 27.

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Pro-gun Iowans say 2nd Amendment sanctuaries can keep rights from being 'chipped away at' - Local 5 - weareiowa.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced today four amendments she has filed to fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills. The House Rules Committee will consider the amendments next week.

Nortons first amendment would prohibit the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from using its funds to enforce the prohibition on marijuana in federally assisted housing in jurisdictions where recreational marijuana is legal. The second amendment would prohibit HUD from using its funds to enforce the prohibition on medical marijuana in jurisdictions where medical marijuana is legal. Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) are cosponsors of both amendments. Earlier this Congress, Norton reintroduced her bill to permit marijuana in federally assisted housing in jurisdictions where it is legal. Norton has also sent a letter to HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge asking her to use executive discretion to not enforce the prohibition on marijuana in federally assisted housing in jurisdictions where it is legal.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development should not be allowed to remove people from their homes or otherwise punish them for following the marijuana laws of their jurisdictions, Norton said. More and more states are moving toward legalization of marijuana, especially of medical marijuana. It is time for HUD to follow the rest of the country and allow marijuana use in federally assisted housing in jurisdictions where it is legal. This should especially be the case for individuals living in jurisdictions that have legalized medical marijuana. Nobody should be evicted for following the law and the advice of their doctors.

Nortons third amendment would direct the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prioritize efforts to combat airplane and helicopter noise. While the FAA and the aviation industry face many high-profile challenges, aircraft noise, which causes disruption to human health and local economies, is often overlooked. As co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus, I have been leading members for many years to get the FAA to take aircraft noise seriously, Norton said. As a result of aircraft noise, Americans suffer from sleep disruption, exacerbation of high blood pressure and other chronic diseases, and learning loss in schools.

Nortons fourth amendment would prohibit the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from using its funds to enter directly into leases for a headquarters. Nortons amendment would effectively return the SECs leasing authority to the General Services Administration (GSA), the federal governments real estate arm. As a former chair and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, Norton led oversight of the SECs real estate activities.

For three decades, the SEC has consistently stumbled through leasing mistakes at great expense to taxpayers, Norton said. It is incredibly inefficient, wasteful, and redundant for the SEC to be involved in the nuances of real estate decisions when GSA exists for that very reason.Like other federal agencies, the SEC should continue to have input and involvement in the decision-making process, but the ultimate real estate authority should lie with GSA, where it belongs. Earlier this Congress, Norton introduced a bill to revoke the SECs leasing authority and return it to GSA.

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Read the rest here:
Norton Files Amendments to Allow Marijuana Use in Public Housing, Combat Aircraft Noise, and Block SEC from Entering into Lease for Headquarters -...