2A Sanctuary area support on the rise | Local News – SoMdNews.com

After Commissioner John OConnor (R) encouraged citizens to express their support for St. Marys County becoming a Second Amendment sanctuary area at several commissioner meetings, the county received several letters of support for the initiative from citizens.

OConnor told The Enterprise this week that the county has received a ton of support through letters, emails and the St. Marys 2A Sanctuary Facebook group, which has more than 6,000 members as of Monday evening.

Even as the county commissioners consider voting on the designation for St. Marys, its somewhat unclear whether it would have any actual consequences.

The clarion call for the sanctuary comes in response to several pieces of legislation being discussed in Annapolis that backers say would restrict firearm ownership, including requiring additional background checks on secondary firearm transfers, safer gun storage when minors could gain access and registration for certain guns.

When asked last month what this designation could actually mean for the county, OConnor told The Enterprise taking this stance would support not providing any resources or funding to legislation deemed as unconstitutional against the Second Amendment, such as bans on handguns and assault weapons and registration fees on shotguns and rifles.

The decision whether or not to approve the designation is due for a vote on the commissioners agenda for a date in March, the commissioner said this week.

When asked how this designation would impact the county, St. Marys Sheriff Tim Cameron (R) told The Enterprise, in his opinion, the resolution is symbolic in nature and is a way for citizens to send a message to legislators that they are mindful of their Second Amendment rights.

Although Cameron said he supported the movement, he also mentioned it doesnt change anything you still have to obey state law.

He said, no matter what, Im always going to do my job, but the Second Amendment area designation is a civil way of communicating with elected officials and its notable how citizens have come together to express support. He mentioned a movement of Second Amendment support is happening throughout the state of Maryland.

Richard Fritz (R), St. Marys states attorney, said this week, From my view, I am a strong believer in the second amendment and a 2A sanctuary acknowledges that law abiding citizens have the right to bear arms its that old saying, what do you do to protect your family from a dangerous criminal in your home when hes 30 seconds away and the cops are 20 minutes away?

Dan Belson contributed to this report.

See the article here:

2A Sanctuary area support on the rise | Local News - SoMdNews.com

Former White House physician heading to runoff in Texas congressional race | TheHill – The Hill

Ronny Jackson, the former White House physician and retired Navy rear admiral, is heading to a runoff in the Republican primary in Texass 13th Congressional District.

Jackson will face off against agricultural expert Josh Winegarner. Winegarnerearnedthe most votes in Tuesdays Republican primary with nearly 39 percent, with Jackson coming in second with roughly 20 percent of the vote.

Since no candidate hit the 50 percent threshold, the top two vote-getters willcompete inthe runoff on May 26.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpDems unlikely to subpoena Bolton Ratcliffe nomination puts Susan Collins in tough spot Meet the adviser shaping foreign policy for Sanders MORE threw his support behind Jacksonlast month, saying he is strong on Crime and Borders, GREAT for our Military and Vets, and will protect your [Second Amendment].

However, Jackson has had to grapple with lingering controversy from his time working in the White House. His nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs was withdrawn from consideration amid allegations of professional misconduct, including drinking on the job and overprescribing medication.

Jackson is running for the chance to replace retiring Rep. Mac ThornberryWilliam (Mac) McClellan ThornberryFormer White House physician heading to runoff in Texas congressional race Overnight Defense: US, Taliban deal hits snag in first days | Military helping to find coronavirus vaccine | White House withdraws nomination for official who questioned Ukraine aid hold Signs of trouble mar Trump deal with Taliban MORE (R), who was first elected to the House in 1994.

The Democratic Party will also see a runoff between retired business consultant Greg Sagan and office manager Gus Trujillo.

Republicans hold a huge advantage in Texass 13th Congressional District, which Thornberry won with over 81 percent of the vote in 2018.

Read the original post:

Former White House physician heading to runoff in Texas congressional race | TheHill - The Hill

‘Permitless Carry’ legislation advances in Senate – Cleveland Daily Banner

Mike Bell

By TIM SINIARD

Despite a tearful plea from the mother of a young man who was killed in 2018 by a gunman at a Nashville restaurant, and over objections from some members of the law enforcement community, Gov. Bill Lees sweeping permitless carry bill advanced out of the state Senates Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

The legislation, which is being shepherded by state Sen. Mike Bell (R-Riceville), was passed 7-2 and will now move on to the Senate Finance Committee.

Introduced by Gov. Lee last week, Senate Bill 2671 will allow for both open and concealed carrying of handguns for Tennesseans 21 years old and older.

The measure also has stricter penalties for stealing firearms, including increasing incarceration sentences for stealing a gun from a car, providing a handgun to a minor and unlawful possession of a handgun by a felon.

Information provided by the governor's office points to additional components of the "Permitless Carry," which is also known as "Constitutional Carry." As proposed, the legislation includes:

Increases the penalty for theft of a firearm to a felony;

Provides a sentencing enhancement for theft of a firearm from a vehicle;

Increases minimum sentences for theft of a firearm from 30 days to 180 days;

Increases sentences for unlawful possession of a firearm by violent felons and felony drug offenders, possession of a handgun by a felon and unlawfully providing a handgun to a juvenile or allowing a juvenile to possess a handgun.

The bill also contains a provision extending the right to 18 to 20-year-old members of the military.

Those who would want to legally buy a handgun would still have to pass federal background checks, although there are some loopholes to the requirement, according to previously published media reports.

Further details about the governor's legislative proposals are expected to be released soon.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, which Bell chairs, heard testimony from those who supported and opposed Lees legislation, among them a grieving mother, and the National Rifle Association state director, as well as members of law enforcement.

Shaundelle Brooks, the mother of Waffle House shooting victim Akilah DaSilva, implored the committee to vote against the bill, stating that he was taken from us and none of our lives will ever be the same.

She told lawmakers it was impossible for them to imagine the pain she feels when your loved one has been murdered until you experience it yourself.

My son was a beautiful soul, Brooks said.

DaSilva, 23, a student at Middle Tennessee State University, was shot and killed along with three others on April 22, 2018, by Travis Reinking after the gunman entered the restaurant and fired several shots from a Bushmaster AR-15.

While living in Illinois, Reinking had had his gun license revoked; however, it was later learned that his father had handed his gun back to his son, the same one used during the mass shooting at the Waffle House.

The father, Jeffrey Reinking, was charged last year with unlawful delivery of a firearm.

Since her sons murder, Brooks said she has learned a great deal about gun violence in the United States.

I have studied data, she said as her voice broke. I've also dedicated my life to doing what I can to prevent another family from suffering the way my family has suffered and to prevent another mother from having to bury a child and wake up every day with a broken heart.

Judiciary Vice Chairman Sen. Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol) expressed his condolences to Brooks.

I will tell you that I think every every member of this committee feels for you, he said. Thank you.

Following Brooks was Matt Herriman, state director for the National Rifle Association, who said he believed that citizens do not need the government's permission to exercise a right, given to them by the Constitution.

Today, Tennessee's current system is set up as a privilege, not a right, he said.

Herriman said the bill would not result in increased crime, "especially murders with a handgun."

He said the legislation being considered by the committee is for law-abiding Tennesseans, not criminals.

Criminals already carried concealed firearms without regard for the law, Herriman said. This legislation is not for those people. It simply puts law-abiding Tennesseans on equal footing. This bill contains stiff penalties for those criminals who choose to unlawfully possess or steal a firearm. These are the people that we need to target, not law-abiding citizens.

But Brentwood Chief of Police Jeff Hughes, who was accompanied by Maggi Duncan, executive director of the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, opposed the legislation.

He said those in law enforcement are generally pro-Second Amendment, but with some reservations, particularly when the safety of officers is concerned.

"This simply raises concerns," Hughes said of the legislation, "particularly as it relates to the safety of our officers that are on the street. I'm personally concerned about my officers that are out there on the street trying to ascertain whether someone is legally carrying or not legally carrying, and the jeopardy that that might put them in while they're trying to make that determination.

Hughes said making such determinations would place a burden on law enforcement officers.

Duncan said the new proposal would also end the state's ability to deny permits to those with mental instabilities.

Last year for Tennessee alone, there were over 53,000 denials from mental defects, she said. And that would be a large concern for us because you're not just protecting your law enforcement officer, we're also trying to protect the rest of the community.

Bell responded he had many friends in the law enforcement community who lay their lives on the line every single day in the United States.

But this is what I want to say gently, Bell said. Law enforcement has opposed every expansion of Second-Amendment rights that the Legislature has passed since we enacted permit carry in 1995 every one of them.

He said the law enforcement community in Tennessee does not have the same perspective regarding the Second Amendment as a right for all citizens.

I love our law enforcement, he said. But they have a perspective and a focus that does not take into account every time, what is in my opinion not just the best thing for the citizens, but what is true and right and in line with our Second-Amendment constitutional rights.

Continued here:

'Permitless Carry' legislation advances in Senate - Cleveland Daily Banner

Letter to the Editor: A STRONG CONSERVATIVE AND UNYIELDING ADVERSARY ON 2ND AMENDMENT – Valley Roadrunner

By admin | on February 27, 2020

Editor Roadrunner:

Im Gina Roberts and Im running for reelection to the Republican Central Committee for the 75th Assembly District. In the last three and a half years I have proven myself to be a strong conservative and an unyielding adversary on the Second Amendment.

I have attended all but one meeting and convention since I was elected and have represented the values of the Republican party to mainstream and non-traditional sectors of the electorate. I have worked hard to eliminate the stigma of identity politics from the Republican Party and promote the Big Tent concept for inclusion in the Party. I was designated Coalition Builder of the Year in 2018 in recognition of my outreach to all Republicans regardless of how society and our opponents choose to categorize and recognize them.

We have made huge strides in the San Diego County Republican party, we are recognized nationwide as the strongest county party anywhere, and Im proud to have assisted in the recovery and hopeful triumphs in the next four years. Our 75th Caucus has been a great, functional, and influential team in advancing the improvements we need to see to be successful. The current members or alternates that are up for reelection are Regina W. Roberts, Kimberly Mead, C. Brian Melonakos, and Lee DeMao. Two others that have been active and contributing to the Republican Party have been Randy Berholtz (currently Secretary of the State Party who recently moved to our district) and Matt Stockton. I would highly recommend this team for election.

My name is listed on the Ballot as Regina W. Roberts in the number one position and I would appreciate your vote on March 3, 2020.

GINA ROBERTS, Valley Center

* * *

*Note: Opinions expressed by columnists and letter writers are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the newspaper.

Read this article:

Letter to the Editor: A STRONG CONSERVATIVE AND UNYIELDING ADVERSARY ON 2ND AMENDMENT - Valley Roadrunner

I-4 Votes: Gun Policy, Immigration Sway Voters Along The Corridor – WMFE

Frank DiMeglio, is a member of the NRA and worries about the Second Amendment. Photo: Abe Aboraya, WMFE

Floridas primary election is just two weeks away and public media stations WUSF in Tampa and WMFE in Orlando are banding together to cover stories along the I-4 Corridor this election season.

The stories from the I-4 Votes collaboration are based on what residents consider the most pressing issues in the 2020 presidential election. This week, were taking a deep dive into a survey of people living in this region of Florida a critical part of a key swing state.

We start with two hot-button issues: Guns, and immigration.

Frank DiMeglio is a Rhode Island transplant who lives in a Daytona Beach condo just five miles from where Interstate 4 starts at the Daytona International Speedway.

His number one national issue in the 2020 presidential election? Gun policy. He owns two handguns, is a member of the NRA, and worries about the Second Amendment.

Why restrict me from owning a gun, a rifle, a hunting rifle, a self-protection rifle, a shooting gun, whatever, DiMeglio said. The Second Amendment is not what guns you own, its about having the right to own them.

DiMeglio said that view puts him in a camp with conservatives and Republicans. He does support some restrictions: Background checks, for example, and closing the gun show loophole.

He was one of more than 800 voters along the I-4 corridor who responded to a survey from WMFE and WUSF. Now, a few caveats. This was not a scientific poll. The results, collected between September and December online and at public events, are skewed. Many of the people filling out the poll identified as leaning Democrat, female, older and well-educated.

In the survey, gun policy was the number one national issue, beating out things like immigration and Donald Trump. Later, well be sharing results on the top economic issues in the survey: health care and the environment.

DiMeglio said he cant see himself voting for a Democrat for president because of their stance on guns. But in a local election, the issue could sway his vote.

On a local level, sure, DiMeglio said. Without a doubt.

Gun policy was also a top issue for Michael Gunn. He lives in Lakeland, the mid-point of the I-4 Corridor, between Tampa and Orlando.

Parkland really hit home, Gunn said of the 2019 mass shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school in Parkland. You know, Ive got kids that age. Ive got a daughter in high school.

Michael Gunn is a father who says the mass shootings at a high school in Parkland are shaping his decisions in the 2020 presidential election. Photo: Abe Aboraya / WMFE

Gunn pauses for a moment.

And nothings been done about it, he says. I mean, Florida did some things, which is good, but not nearly enough. And it just needs to be a nationwide movement.

Gunn said he was a Republican. Hes former military, cares deeply about the Afghanistan war and the deficit. But in 2016, he voted for Hillary Clinton.

Yeah, you know, its funny, I remember telling my wife when she started running for president, I was like, Oh, god, anybody but Hillary, Gunn said.

He said its possible for a Republican to get his vote back. But not in 2020 and not for president.

Its possible, maybe down the road in the future, a good, moderate Republican with sensible gun control could maybe get my vote, but now, no, Gunn said. Its pretty hard set its going to be whoever the Democrat is.

Immigration Important Topic For Republicans

The I-4 Votes issue survey showed for Republicans, immigration is their biggest concern.

Brandon Ryerson, a biomedical science student at the University of South Florida, said immigration is one of the issues that will help him decide who to support in the 2020 presidential election.Credit: Steve Newborn / WUSF Public Media

That includes Brandon Ryerson, 22, a biomedical science student at the University of South Florida. The Brooksville resident said conservatives like him are sometimes considered persona non grata at universities. So free speech, gun rights and immigration top his list of issues hes thinking about when voting.

Ryerson said that of all the candidates, President Donald Trump most closely reaches his stance on immigration. He credits the president for stopping the migrant caravans from Central America.

But hes with Trump on this only so far.

I think that his immigration policies maybe do go too far, he said. The wall, for example Im not a huge fan on that. I dont think its going to decrease illegal immigration that much and I dont really think its a good use of our money.

While he doesnt believe in open borders, Ryerson said he would favor increasing legal immigration for people with skills the country needs.

I dont want to say merit-based, because theres a lot of negative connotations around it, but something like that wouldnt be bad, he said. We obviously want to be taking in good people even people who dont have the best education, we still need those people. At the same time, we dont really want to be taking in criminals.

Ryerson said he likes the idea of increasing the number of visas.

You know, make it easier for people to work in the country, and, you know, get here, and that way they can spend time in the country, he said. They can, you know, assimilate a little bit.

In 2016, Ryerson backed Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, and then became a big Trump supporter. Since then, hes cooled on the President.

I would say out of all of them right now, I would probably say that Trump is the closest, but you know, I would also have to do more research, Ryerson said. I dont mind, like, Joe Biden even has some great ideas on immigration and stuff like that.

Read the original here:

I-4 Votes: Gun Policy, Immigration Sway Voters Along The Corridor - WMFE

The Wall Some Texans Want to Build Against Abortion – The New York Times

LINDALE, Texas A small group of women at a recent City Council meeting held hands and offered hushed prayers in an otherwise silent room.

Everyone was waiting for the council members to decide whether their community would become the next sanctuary city for the unborn.

No one was trying to build an abortion clinic in the Texas community of Lindale, population 6,000. But they wanted to keep it that way.

Persuaded by a shaggy-haired pastor in a backward baseball cap, a dozen other Texas communities already had passed measures prohibiting abortion within their borders.

Legal scholars call the efforts unconstitutional, and some critics have sued. But that hasnt curtailed Mark Dickson, the pastor, and a director for the Right to Life East Texas.

Were really trying to protect the culture and the atmosphere that these cities already have, Mr. Dickson said.

Sanctuary cities for the unborn are the latest way some American communities are attempting to wall themselves off from rules they disagree with, laws imposed by higher authorities that do not match their values.

Its a tactic embraced by both ends of Americas political spectrum: Some cities have become so-called sanctuaries from immigration crackdowns and, elsewhere, from stricter gun laws.

The new local actions on abortion are playing out as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments Wednesday on a case that thrusts abortion, one of Americas most divisive issues, into the middle of the presidential campaign.

The case, a challenge to a Louisiana law that opponents say would leave the state with just one doctor in a single clinic authorized to provide abortions, could limit the scope of the constitutional right to abortion established in 1973 in Roe v. Wade.

Hope Medical Group for Women, the clinic at the heart of the case, sparked the Texas movement to create sanctuary cities for the unborn. Mr. Dickson and others worried that if fewer abortions were allowed in Louisiana because of the new law, the clinic might move across state lines to East Texas, a conservative swath of small towns and ranchland.

We are living in a nation that tends to throw away life, said Mr. Dickson, 34, who is traveling the state to rally support for his movement. This is the time to stand and to do something. If we dont do something now, then when?

A majority of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to Pew Research Center. Yet abortion rights now are facing more scrutiny than ever in the years since the Roe v. Wade decision. Planned Parenthood has described access to abortion as hanging by a thread.

Abortion politics always reflect and transform broader American politics, said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University and author of Abortion and the Law in America. Were more polarized on a lot of issues. Were not in a seeking compromise kind of mood.

In many parts of the country, access to abortion clinics is decreasing. New laws took effect last year that, if upheld by the courts, could ban most legal abortion in seven states. Last week, the Senate failed to advance two bills that frame abortion as infanticide, forcing vulnerable Democrats into uncomfortable votes and energizing a socially conservative base for Republicans. President Trump has weighed in, pointing to one of the Senate bills and falsely asserting that Democrats favor executing babies AFTER birth.

So far, Mr. Dickson has successfully lobbied 12 East Texas communities to create anti-abortion ordinances that would levy fines if an abortion clinic tries to open, though one town later changed its mind. The sanctuary city for the unborn movement is spreading to other parts of Texas, and beyond. Last month in Florida, after a heated meeting, Santa Rosa County commissioners decided to ask voters in November whether to declare the county a pro-life sanctuary. In Roswell, N.M., a measure passed that preceded those in Texas.

The notion of creating sanctuary cities of all kinds has been around for several years.

Numerous left-leaning communities across the nation have declared themselves sanctuaries for immigrants, refusing to comply with federal enforcement efforts that have been ramped up since Mr. Trump has been in office.

Dozens of right-leaning municipalities have become Second Amendment sanctuaries, adopting laws or resolutions to hinder the enforcement of gun-control measures such as universal background checks or bans on assault weapons.

Many opponents of sanctuary cities of either kind say they are illegal.

The American Civil Liberties Union has challenged some of the measures on behalf of abortion rights groups, including the Texas Equal Access Fund. And some town leaders, despite holding anti-abortion views themselves, oppose these measures because of the potential financial risk of defending them in court.

Kamyon Connor, executive director of the Texas Equal Access Fund which some of the sanctuary measures label a criminal organization said the ordinances were political stunts meant to confuse people about their rights.

Yet new communities continue to pass ordinances and resolutions that create sanctuaries of various kinds as populations in a politically divided nation respond to the feeling that their way of life their view that deportations are inhumane or their belief that abortion is murder is under attack.

There are a lot of things floating around about sanctuary this and sanctuary that, said Trey Tenery, 50, sitting in the back office of his Victory Guns and Guitar Works store in downtown Lindale. I think people are kind of putting their foot down about different things they believe in.

Mr. Tenery supports the creation of the anti-abortion sanctuary measures, as do many other residents of Lindale, where white crosses are positioned in graveyard fashion in front of a Catholic church to mark the 213 Texans who die each day from abortion.

For Mr. Tenery, the building of a metaphoric wall that aims to keep out abortion providers would preserve his values in the same way that he believes a real wall at the Mexican border would. A wall, he said, would protect people from drugs and sex trafficking coming from the Mexican border, which is about an eight-hour drive from Lindale. (The police in Lindale said sex and drug trafficking have not been major issues in the community.)

Other people who supported the sanctuary-city measures in Lindale said they saw the move as a way to take a moral stand against abortion.

It seems the liberal agenda has gotten so out of hand, said Andrea Josselet, a Lindale resident who voted for Mr. Trump and called him the most pro-life president weve had.

Paul Fancher, an engineer from Lindale, opposes abortion for religious reasons, saying, As a student of the laws of the God of heaven I have discerned that the shedding of innocent blood is something to be concerned with.

He was disappointed last year when the Texas State Legislature failed to pass a bill that would have made the death penalty possible in abortion cases. Mr. Fancher had contacted Mr. Dickson and asked him to come to Lindale to help organize a push for a measure like the one the pastor had persuaded the community of Waskom to pass in June. Mr. Dickson has since bounced among so many small towns that by the time he arrived in Lindale to address the City Council, he came armed with a blueprint for action.

He carried with him teddy bears that pulse with a recording of an in utero heartbeat and stuffs his pockets with three rubber models of a 12-week-old fetus in various skin tones props he had carted to other meetings to appeal to the emotions of council members wary of lawsuits.

The night of the Lindale Councils vote, in mid-February, he and a handful of residents were holding Choose life for all Lindale babies signs outside City Hall as council members arrived.

Not everyone in Lindale, situated in Smith County where just over 70 percent of voters supported Mr. Trump in the 2016 election, agrees with this point of view. A 25-year-old woman who did not want to be named because of the conservative nature of Lindale, said she voted for Mr. Trump and also said that was happy abortion was an option when she got pregnant four years ago. She wasnt ready to raise a child.

In conservative East Texas, many young women are stigmatized for seeking reproductive health care, said Sarah Wheat, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas. The sanctuary city movement only isolates them, she said.

Americans dont want to see people who need access to basic health care, including abortion, targeted like this, Ms. Wheat said. This is why abortion is on the ballot in 2020. People are tired of Trumps anti-abortion rhetoric seeping into their communities.

That night at City Hall, if abortion-rights supporters were present, they stayed silent. Instead, the room was packed with a mostly white crowd of men and women of all ages, some wearing T-shirts with Choose Life messages and one wearing a button that said, Babies Lives Matter.

Kayvon Richards, a college student in the audience, opened the meeting with a prayer to God about this special opportunity we have to make a decision that comes back to you, that stands up for your word, your truth and your values.

Supporters addressed the Council a few minutes at a time, punctuated by amens from the packed room. They spoke of sanctioned bloodshed and harvesters in the abortion clinics with the lists they need of different body parts.

Matt Myer had driven to the meeting 85 miles from the city of Wells, where a few nights before he and other City Council members in a single meeting had passed a measure aimed at outlawing homeless encampments as well as ordinances creating a Second Amendment sanctuary city and a sanctuary city for the unborn.

Certain that the city attorney for Wells would advise against passing the measures, Mr. Myer said he and his fellow council members decided not to seek legal advice about their actions.

He said it was the Councils obligation to stand up for life and not worry what the attorneys say. A week later his community would be named as a defendant in the A.C.L.U. lawsuit.

When the Lindale council members returned to the public meeting room after private deliberations, the city attorney announced the measure was so poorly worded it wouldnt have the effect that supporters wanted. He worried it might be unconstitutional.

Mr. Dickson had come to town with his teddy bears and fetal models seeking an ordinance. Instead, the Council, an all-male body except for one woman, took the advice of its attorney and passed a strongly worded resolution that proclaimed its support for overturning Roe v. Wade and said that abortion in all stages of pregnancy is the act of taking human life.

It didnt include fines or bans. But the mayor looked out at the disappointed crowd and offered reassurance about its intent. Were all allies, I think, here, he said.

Read the original here:

The Wall Some Texans Want to Build Against Abortion - The New York Times

Second Amendment Rally Seems to Have Anti-Gun Extremists Disappointed That it was so Peaceful – NRA ILA

In the days leading up to the annual lobby day in Richmond, Va.where thousands of Virginians traditionally lobby their legislators on numerous issues an unprecedented number of supporters of the Second Amendment were expected to show up in opposition to the virulently anti-gun legislative agenda of Governor Ralph Northam and Virginia Democrats. In response, anti-gun advocates and their supporters in the media tried to paint a picture of an impending violent confrontation.

Of course, defaming law-abiding gun owners is nothing new for those who abhor the Second Amendment.

Any time a violent criminal uses a firearm to commit a heinous act, extremists dedicated to banning firearms attempt to blame anyone who supports our right to keep and bear arms. Every time a state legislature passes legislation to make it easier for American citizens to defend themselves or otherssuch as by making it easier to carry a firearm for personal protectionthose opposed to the idea of personal protection predict future tragedies committed by the law-abiding, or question the rationality of such measures.

The recent heroic actions by Texas permit holder Jack Wilson highlight this sad strategy of the anti-gun community.

When Texas law was changed so that places of worship could have armed security, former Vice President Joe Biden questioned its rationality. After Jack Wilson saved countless lives, it became yet another reminder of Bidens gift for gaffes to create problems for the 2020 Democrat presidential candidate.

Even after the fact, anti-gun New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg had the audacity to suggest that Wilson should not have been allowed to legally act in the defense of countless congregants facing an imminent lethal threat.

Bloombergs campaign mouthpiece, Kevin Sheekey, even tried to walk back Bloomberg questioning Wilsons action this week, claiming, Mike Bloomberg supports [Jack Wilsons] right to own a gun with a background check. We salute him, I salute him.

Sheekey went on to say, The question is where he and Mike Bloomberg disagree, which is should anyone who walks out of an insane asylum be able to get a gun? Mike Bloomberg would say no,Im not sure what other people would say.

Of course, this clarificationhas nothing to do with Bloombergs assertion that law-abiding citizens cannot be trusted to act responsibly when using a firearm to defend themselves or others. And Sheekeys use of the term insane asylum,which we are pretty sure is not on the list of approved PC terms when discussing mental health, may require additional clarification.

So, as deplorable as it is to see the anti-gun crowds narrative that law-abiding gun owners represent some sort of threat, we are sadly accustomed to it.

Before the legislative session had even begun, Virginia Democratic members of Congress threatened law-abiding citizens with the Virginia National Guard to confiscate firearms.

The week before gun owners and Second Amendment advocates gathered in Richmond this past Monday to voice their opposition to the Virginia Democrat gun-ban agenda, Governor Northam ramped up the ridiculous rhetoric.

Northam and Bloombergsbought-and-paid-for Virginia General Assembly had already rushed through legislation to ban firearms at the Capitol. This was just prior to NRAs own day for legislative action, where we invited members to join us in speaking out against Northams extremist agenda. This event, which even Governor Northam described as a peaceful event,saw more than 2,000 NRA members gather in Richmond, without incident (as we would expect).

Even though gun owners regularly gather by the thousands, and sometimes tens-of-thousands, without any problems, Northam decided to ramp up the anti-gun hysteria ahead of Mondays event by declaring a State of Emergency,and expanding the zones where lawfully possessed firearms are prohibited around the Capitol.

And the media fanned the flames of Northams attempt to paint law-abiding gun owners as dangerous.

Prior to Mondays event, fear-mongering headlines were everywhere.

Time.com went with, Tensions are High, Extremists are Expected to Attend.

Yahoo! News ran a piece by Bloombergs primary anti-gun shill, Shannon Watts, which included in its headline, Extremists Plan to Rally in Virginia.

An MSNBC.com headline claimed, As gun rights rally looms in Virginia, Richmond residents fear another Charlottesville.

The day of the event, more of the same, and sometimes worse.

Huffington Post proclaimed, Thousands Of Pro-Gun Activists And Far-Right Extremists Swarm Richmond, Virginia.

Yahoo! News announced, Tensions Are High, Some Protesters Are Showing Up Armed.

Craig Melvin, an MSNBC anchor, received quite a bit of push-back for stating that thousands of white nationalists attended the rally.

The media, of course, were not alone with hyping the hysteria.

Harvards own David Hogg apparently took a break from his studies to tweet (his favorite form of communication) a plethora of insults and incendiary jibes at the men and women who took the time to peacefully express their political views. Hogg made references to white supremacistsand nazis(sic), said youre a fascistof many attendees, and said some who showed up that they actually think there (sic) in Call of Duty. He even took the time to tweet Donald Trump is an idiot.

So, thats what you apparently get with a Harvard education these days. Maybe next semester he will take a class on civility, or even English.

When the event was over, and no acts of violence had been reported (which was no surprise to anyone actually familiar with law-abiding gun owners), many in the media felt compelled to actually report the rally ended peacefully. Thats not news, unless you spent the days before the event trying to foment fear over the potential for violence. Sadly, it sounds more like disappointment.

But the denigration of what was estimated as 22,000+ gun rights activists simply using their collective political voice to oppose attacks on our cherished freedoms didnt end with the close of this Lobby Day.

Before, during, and after the rally, countless media hacks tried to portray the event as less an expression of support for the Second Amendment, and more a gathering of white men who, as Hogg put it, are white supremacists,nazis,and fascists.

In fact, the rally was incredibly diverse, with men and women from across the racial spectrum. It was far more inclusive than, say, the stage at the last Democrat Presidential debate.

One of the more egregious diatribes post-rally came in the form of a GQ column penned by Talia Lavin. While most in the media reported on how peaceful the event was (again, not news, but expected behavior from law-abiding gun owners), Lavins fevered, anti-gun imagination projected an image of a rally with the promise that bloodshed might happen at any time.

But was she even there? Unlikely.

Her column appears to be cobbled together from various other news articles, and second-hand reports from [r]eporter friends who planned to attend, and a leftist activistwho claimed she was there.

The idea that someone who likely wasnt even at the event could offer insight as to the mood of the event isnt Lavins only problem. The researchshe did for her GQ piece was filled with errors.

She claimed some 22,000 people from all over the country had turned up to protest the gun control laws recently passed by the Virginia State Senate. In fact, the rally had been planned for some time, as a protest for all of the anti-gun legislation Governor Northam and his ilk had been threatening to pass since last year.

Lavin also claimed that NRAhanded out1,000 free 30-round magazines to gun owners before the rally.If by before the rallyshe meant a week before, during our own, separate day for legislative action, then that would be accurate. But that doesnt fit into the image of a scene she described as a spectacular arsenal of weaponry.A description she crafted based, presumably, on photos and video of the event. So well just make an educated guess that her sloppy work resulted in her conflating two different events, either intentionally or not, to feed her negative narrative.

Again, rather than doing actual research, Lavin relied on a news article or two to also claim, The effects on locals amounted to a sweeping petrification. Due to Mondays event, Richmond natives closed their businesses downtownfrom a 7-11 near the Capitol to a barbershop.Rather than the image of a shuttered downtown Lavin tried to create, many, if not most, businesses remained open, and flourished with the concentrated influx of customers.

She also brought up the notion that some groups chose to cancel their own Lobby Day events. Some may have simply not wanted to deal with competing for space with 22,000+ other citizens who were making their political voices heard. Sadly, some may have been scared away by Governor Northam and media hacks like Lavin projecting a sense of impending doom.

Lavin quoted from a press release by one group that claimed it canceled because of its fear over heavily armed white supremacistsseeking to incite violence. But that came from the rabidly anti-gun Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (formerly the National Coalition to Ban Handguns). It seems far more likely the group saw an opportunity to take advantage of the hysteria created by Northam and the media, get a little attention, and avoid showing up with a handful of activists that would just get dejected and go home early.

Now, the name Talia Lavin may sound familiar to some. In 2018 she resigned from her position as fact-checkerfor the New Yorker after she posted a picture of an ICE agent, and implied he had a Nazi tattoo. He did not.

So, apparently attention to detail has long been a failure for Talia. Coincidentally, like Hogg, she is also a product of Harvard.

So, before, during, and after a rally in Richmond that saw 22,000+ Second Amendment advocates come together to voice their opposition to legislation designed to infringe on the rights of law-abiding gun owners, anti-gun extremists, politicians, and their enablers in the media did everything they could to malign the attendees. They projected an image of impending violence at the thought of so many gun owners in one place, then seemed to imply it was newsthat the rally was peaceful.

Again, gun owners gathering together peacefully is not news; thats the norm.

Then again, anti-gun extremists, politicians, and their enablers in the media working together to malign law-abiding gun owners, sadly, isnt really newseither. Its just another day that ends with y.

Read the original:

Second Amendment Rally Seems to Have Anti-Gun Extremists Disappointed That it was so Peaceful - NRA ILA

Texas shooting security guard warns of attacks on Second Amendment, criticizes Bloomberg | TheHill – The Hill

The man who is credited with stopping a shooter during an attack at a church in Texas by opening fire and killing the gunman has sharply criticized a gun control policy touted by former New York City MayorMike Bloomberg.

Jack Wilson told The Dallas Morning Newsin an interview that he thinks a gun control plan pushed by Bloomberg, a 2020presidential hopeful running in the Democratic primary, would have left him helpless to respond to the shooter.

If we were operating under Bloombergs position, we wouldnt have had any guns in there, Wilson told the newspaper. The outcome would have been extremely more severe than it was.

A spokeswoman for Bloomberg's campaign responded to the claim, telling the newspaper that under Bloomberg's proposal, the shooter's criminal history would have prevented him from obtaining a firearm.

"Mr. Wilson certainly acted bravely, but the killer had a history of violence and mental health issues and under Mikes plan, he would never [have] had a gun, the spokeswoman said.

Bloomberg, who has made gun control a centralissue of his 2020 campaign, previously addressed the Texas shooting during an address in Montgomery, Ala.

"It may be true that someone in the congregation had his own gun and killed the person who murdered two other people, but its the job of law enforcement to have guns and to decide when to shoot," the former mayor said at the time, adding, "You just do not want the average citizen carrying a gun in a crowded place."

Bloomberg'sremarks earned him criticism from President TrumpDonald John TrumpDemocrats outraged over White House lawyer's claim that some foreign involvement in elections is acceptable Senators take reins of impeachment trial in marathon question session White House announces task force to monitor coronavirus MORE, who tweeted days afterward:"Now Mini Mike Bloomberg is critical of Jack Wilson, who saved perhaps hundreds of people in a Church because he was carrying a gun, and knew how to use it. Jack quickly killed the shooter, who was beginning a rampage. Mini is against the 2nd A. His ads are Fake, just like him!"

Now Mini Mike Bloomberg is critical of Jack Wilson, who saved perhaps hundreds of people in a Church because he was carrying a gun, and knew how to use it. Jack quickly killed the shooter, who was beginning a rampage. Mini is against the 2nd A. His ads are Fake, just like him!

See the article here:

Texas shooting security guard warns of attacks on Second Amendment, criticizes Bloomberg | TheHill - The Hill

Letter: Here’s the truth about recent Second Amendment rally – INFORUM

I've been hoping and waiting for someone to rebut the knee-jerk liberal reaction Tony Bender had to the the diverse Americans who attended the Second Amendment rally in Virginia in his Jan. 23rd column. Rather than a a serious take on the subject he resorted to snarky purial comments that ignored the facts.

Calling those in attendance "white nationalists" or "white supremacists" was the laziest cliched reaction the liberal left has. I guess he forgot to add the label of homophobes.

One of my favorite speakers was the keynote speaker who happened to be a young black woman whose first comment was "Man, this is the worst white nationalist gathering I've ever been to they had to bring me in." She knew how the event was going to be portrayed despite the facts.

He wrote what I assume he thought was a pithy remark about the attendees wearing masks, evoking images of black clad armed invaders with their faces covered. A simple search would have shown him that among the estimated 22,000 people in peaceful attendance, only one person was arrested. That person was arrested for breaking the law about covering one's face with a mask. That person was a young black woman.

Another simple search would have found the vocal group surrounding the Black Guns Matter movement. They were in attendance standing up for the original mission of the NRA, which was to make sure the African American population was armed for their own protection. A cursory search would have found that the local members of Antifa were there. Were they marching against the Second Amendment and protecting the world from the white nationalists? No those silly people didn't realize they too were white nationalists and were marching with the Second Amendment supporters.

Another group that was present was led by Veronica Slootsky on behalf of the Jewish community.

We have a lot of concerns about safety of the Jewish community, given these new laws, The proposed gun laws would prevent Jewish people carrying guns at religious events where they already feel targeted.

A rabbi wouldnt even be able to carry a weapon in his own synagogue, attendee Steve Birnbaum said. SB 35, that allows a municipality to ban firearms at permitted events, our Hanukkah menorah lightings are permitted events. Our highest risk events we would be left defenseless.

Please, editors of the Forum, we understand that you try to hire inflammatory writers to throw out red meat, but if you wish to remain relevant and trusted at least check the veracity of the so-called opinions. They are diatribes that are written up without looking into the facts of the event but rather what the writer believes the event to be about. You can not complain that this country is becoming divided and uncivil and then contribute to it in this way.

Read more:

Letter: Here's the truth about recent Second Amendment rally - INFORUM

Yavapai County Board of Supervisors to Vote on Second Amendment Resolution – Signals AZ

By Kristina Abbey | on January 30, 2020

"Talking Glass" Audible Stories on Signals AZ made possible by The Fain Signature Group - Celebrating 60 Years of Community Building

On February 5, 2020, the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors will consider a Resolution that mirrors the Resolution approved by the Mohave County Board of Supervisors, which supported the Second Amendment of the United Stated Constitution and declared Mohave County a Second Amendment Sanctuary County.

The discussion by the board regarding protection of the Second Amendment started at a regular Board of Supervisors meeting in Cottonwood on December 18, 2019. Preceding a presentation by Myrna Lieberman, Jon Mitchell and Drake Mitchell regarding support for the second amendment of the Constitution of the United States, Supervisor Garrison allowed for a period of public comment. With 17 Public Participation forms completed, the public spoke for nearly 40 minutes in support of, and opposition to, supporting the Second Amendment and identifying Yavapai County as a Sanctuary County.

At the first regular Yavapai County Board of Supervisors meeting for 2020, Chairman Craig Brown opened the meeting to public comment. Estimates placed the total number of people in attendance at nearly 500 with 388 of them completing Public Participation forms and 91 of those requesting the opportunity to speak in support of or against the Second Amendment Proclamation scheduled to be voted on by the Board.

After nearly three and half hours of public comment, Supervisor Mary Mallory put forth a motion to table the proclamation, and Vice-Chairman Garrison seconded the motion, to give the board time to consider the opinions expressed and produce something that reflected the public comments regarding the Proclamation.

Yavapai County Board of Supervisors Chairman Craig Brown said, We listened to and understand the concerns of the public, both for and against this issue, and I believe that this Resolution will address most of those concerns. It is my hope and belief that this Board will come together and support this resolution when we vote on it Wednesday.

The Resolution has been attached to this Press Release and the public is encouraged to read it.

The Board of Supervisors meeting on February 5 will be live-streamed to the Cottonwood Board of Supervisors meeting room at 10 S. 6th Street in Cottonwood AZ. Anyone wishing to view the meeting, that is not able to attend in person, can visit Yavapai.us or follow this link:www.yavapai.us/meetings/video-list to watch the meeting online. Video is only supported in the Edge browser & on Mobile Devices.

Mohave Countys Resolution has been attached to this Press Release and can also be found on their website or by following the link below. lfportal.mohavecounty.us/bos/0/doc/1557984/Page1.aspx

More here:

Yavapai County Board of Supervisors to Vote on Second Amendment Resolution - Signals AZ

Wiese and Zyburt give stance on becoming Second Amendment sanctuary county – UpperMichigansSource.com

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - Earlier this month, a group of concerned citizens approached the Marquette County Board of Commissioners with a resolution for the county to become a Second Amendment sanctuary county.

The board said it does not have the authority to make that declaration, but that commissioners will uphold the second amendment, as they swore to uphold the Constitution when they took their positions on the board.

"We believe it to be where our local elected officials will back the people, regardless of what laws are passed in Lansing, to support us and not come and take our guns when Lansing says to come take our guns, said Chair of Marquette County for Second Amendment Sanctuary County, John Kovarik.

Following the board meeting, Kovarik reached out to the Marquette County Sheriff, Greg Zyburt, and the Marquette County Prosecutor, Matt Wiese, asking for them to declare support for becoming a sanctuary county.

Zyburt and Wiese sent out a press release Tuesday, stating that they cannot make the declaration due to their positions.

"It was rather disturbing and I'm not happy about it. I know there's a lot of gun owners out there that are not going to be happy about it, Kovarik added.

Wiese says to declare public support for a Second Amendment sanctuary county would be unlawful and against the oath he took as Marquette County's prosecutor.

"I know there's a lot of alarm out there because of what went on in Virginia last week, but we're not talking about that. We can't take a pledge to say that if they pass this law that somehow limits firearms, that we say we're not going to enforce it because by doing that, we're violating our oath of office, said Wiese.

Zyburt has taken the same stance as Wiese on the issue.

"We swore to an oath for the second, the first, the third, the fifth amendments and both the State and the Constitution, and we're going to follow it. We're not going to be bullied. This is our position, and it's a legal position, and that's why the prosecutor and I have put out this release, Zyburt said.

Kovarik adds that he and people in his group are prepared to vote out elected officials that do not support becoming a sanctuary county. Both Wiese and Zyburt add that voters have the right to do so, but that they hope people wont only consider this one issue while voting.

Kovarik says his group will continue pushing for the second amendment, and for Marquette County becoming a Second Amendment sanctuary.

If you let your rights go, then youre going to be in trouble, Kovarik said.

To view the press release from Zyburt and Wiese, go to the Related Links section of this article.

The rest is here:

Wiese and Zyburt give stance on becoming Second Amendment sanctuary county - UpperMichigansSource.com

Request Filed with DOJ for Any Record of Second Amendment Statements of Interest – AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

So whats AG Barr prepared to do to enforce the Second Amendment? (U.S. Department of Justice)

U.S.A. -(Ammoland.com)-A Freedom of Information Act request was filed Tuesday with the Department of Justice by attorney Stephen D. Stamboulieh. The request, filed on behalf of this writer, seeks DOJ statements of interest in defense of the Second Amendment comparable to what the Department has done in defense of the First Amendment.

Imagine a society in which a citizen must petition the government for permission to meet with his fellow citizens, the DOJ wrote in its statement filed in December in Brown v Jones County Junior College. Imagine further that such requests must be made at least three days in advance of the requested meeting, and that the government has unbridled discretion to determine who may meet with whom, and about what they might speak. Such extreme preconditions to speech might not be out of place in Oceania, the fictional dystopian superstate in George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, however, ensures that preconditions like these have no place in the United States of America.

But preconditions like these have a place in the United States of America when it comes to the right of the people to keep and bear arms? Considering the historical evils that have always accompanied a monopoly of violence, Orwells Oceania seems like a resort community.

The United States further states that the Attorney General enforces 34 U.S.C. 12601 which provides in relevant part that governmental authorities and their agents may not engage in a pattern or practice by law enforcement officers that deprives persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States and that the Attorney General may in a civil action obtain the appropriate equitable and declaratory relief to eliminate the pattern or practice, the DOJ statement asserted.

So much for the supreme Law of the Land.

This reminds me of nothing so much as The Ashcroft Petition project I co-authored and co-administered several years back. After then-Attorney General John Ashcroft had declared the text and the original intent of the Second Amendment clearly protect the right of individuals to keep and bear firearms, my colleagues and I decided to see if those were just words or if there was any chance the DOJ would do its job and protect individual rights from being infringed.

The upshotafter collecting and submitting over 40,000 mailed-in signatures from supporters across the country (including Gunners Guru Col. Jeff Cooper), the only official reply we got was a mealy-mouthed nothing burger, pointedly sent from the head of DOJs Terrorism and Violent Crime Section. That, and I had to write a letter to then-NRA-ILA head James Jay Baker demanding that he instruct their California field rep to stop telling people not to sign the petition because those of us behind it were wild-eyed extremists.

In any case, today is supposedly a new day and we have since had two Supreme Court cases confirming what Mr. Ashcroft once assured us, that the Second Amendment is an individual right. So now its time to find out what, if anything, our Department of Justice has done to fulfill duties it acknowledges in court filings to enforce against government actions that deprive persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. Its time to find out what kind of appropriate equitable and declaratory relief to eliminate the pattern or practice we can expect from those whose entire existence is justified on doing just that.

Heres our FOIA request:

FOIA DOJ Statement of Inter

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.

Read more from the original source:

Request Filed with DOJ for Any Record of Second Amendment Statements of Interest - AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Demonstration illustrated concern of political assault on 2nd Amendment | News, Sports, Jobs – Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Had 22,000 people showed up in Richmond, Virginia, to demand stronger gun control laws, it is a safe bet that proponents of them would have pronounced the crowd to be conclusive proof most Americans want such restrictions.

But when a group estimated at that size demonstrated recently against new firearms ownership limits, some gun control advocates insisted the crowd was small and evidence not many people worry about Second Amendment rights.

I was prepared to see a whole lot more people show up than actually did, and I think its an indication that a lot of this rhetoric is bluster, quite frankly, commented state Delegate Chris Hurst, a Democrat representing an area in western Virginia.

In fairness to Hurst, it needs to be noted he has a personal stake in gun control; in 2015, his television journalist girlfriend was killed in a shooting.

More than bluster was on display in Richmond, however.

As The Associated Press noted, those who turned out to protest what they view as infringements upon Second Amendment rights did so in spite of very cold weather.

They came from throughout Virginia, as well as some other states.

Prior to the rally, state officials including Gov. Ralph Northam had expressed concern about white supremacists attending the event.

Members of some such groups did attend, according to observers but the rally passed peacefully. There was just one arrest, of a woman who broke a state law by wearing a mask that covered her face.

What happened in Richmond was a demonstration that many law-abiding Virginians representing millions of other like-minded Americans are concerned about politicians who continue assaulting the Second Amendment. Officials in the Old Dominion, as well as elsewhere, should take note of that.

The citys K-9 program continues to make progress, with the assistance of many city employees.Streets and ...

Everyone should take a first-aid course.Thats the message of Odren Polk, an AmeriCorps volunteer, and we ...

Clearly, the developed world needs to do more about how we dispose of our trash. Just as obviously, the United ...

Feeding off a robust national economy, Pennsylvania state government ended the last fiscal year with total revenue ...

Many Americans became heroes on Dec. 7, 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. One of them, a Navy mess ...

Municipal brush piles and access to them has become a hot topic in recent years. Its quite the ...

Read more:

Demonstration illustrated concern of political assault on 2nd Amendment | News, Sports, Jobs - Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Letter: Gun law reforms possible while respecting Second Amendment – Northwest Herald

To the Editor:

In 1996, the Dickey Amendment was a rider to the U.S.omnibus spending bill. This limited federal spending on gun research and was heavily supportedby the NRA. Reasonable gun owners should all welcome the recent passage into law oflegislation championed by our own Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville). A total of $25 million was allocated to be split between the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health for this research.

Our community has experienced a mass shooting, children routinely practice school active shooter drills, and police dont know what they face in many interactions with the public. Enough is enough! Our residents and law enforcement officers deserve better.

As a gun owner, I appreciate Congresswoman Underwoods leadership on combating gun violence. This legislation is a small but crucial first step. Underwood needs to know that the community, including many gun owners, will support her and her peers as more sensible requirements to reduce gun violence are introduced.

Sensible reforms can be accomplished without impacting our rights under the Second Amendment.

William Bachman

St. Charles

Go here to see the original:

Letter: Gun law reforms possible while respecting Second Amendment - Northwest Herald

Talks of Second Amendment Sanctuary could be on at next Harrisonburg City Council Meeting – WHSV

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) After weeks of discussions and many Virginia counties becoming Second Amendment Sanctuaries, one political party was out making sure supporters make it to the polls.

On Saturday, members of the Republican Party were out in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County to let the community know they do not agree with the plan being put forward in the General Assembly.

Back in December Rockingham County's Board of Supervisors saw a huge attendance with more than 3,000 citizens showing out and voicing their concerns at their meeting held at Spotswood High School. The board voted to make the county a Second Amendment Sanctuary.

Jennifer Brown, Chair of the 6th Congressional District Republican Committee, said it is still important to remind everyone who showed up to Rockingham County's meeting they're not in the endgame just yet.

"We're trying to get those people who are interested and not necessarily registered to get registered so that they can get out and vote," Brown said.

There are still some localities around the Commonwealth that have not made mention of where they stand. Brown said the friendly city's time may be coming soon.

City officials told WHSV a council member has requested a resolution be added to the next city council meeting agenda for the council to discuss.

Back in December George Hirschmann, a City Council Member, told WHSV he would support talks of Harrisonburg becoming a sanctuary city with the council.

Although if the topic is on the next agenda it may not be open for public comment.

City officials said the agenda for the Jan.14 city council meeting will available on Wednesday.

Read more from the original source:

Talks of Second Amendment Sanctuary could be on at next Harrisonburg City Council Meeting - WHSV

Letter to the editor: You can support Second Amendment and … – The Winchester Star

Full disclosure: I am a member of Moms Demand Action, but in this letter I am speaking from my place as a mother and gun-owner.

Too often attempts to address gun violence are portrayed as an attack on the Second Amendment. In reality Americans support reasonable measures to reduce gun violence, including universal background checks and "red flag laws." You can support the Second Amendment while simultaneously accepting that we have a serious problem with gun violence in this country.

In America, we have accepted restrictions on driving, purchasing cigarettes and alcohol, even when and where we can hunt or fish, and the list goes on. To be clear, I take no issue with any of these restrictions. My issue is our collective inability to similarly address gun violence in this country.

As a law-abiding citizen and responsible gun owner, I am keenly aware of the serious responsibilities of gun ownership but also painfully aware of the daily toll of guns in America. I am even more aware that my children have completed more active shooter drills in their tiny lives than I ever had to, which was exactly zero.

We can create a safer gun culture in America, but it will take the voice of responsible gun-owners in the middle to lead that charge. I, for one, am willing to accept reasonable restrictions for a safer society for myself and my children, and I would urge other gun- owners to lend their support to similar measures.

Read more:

Letter to the editor: You can support Second Amendment and ... - The Winchester Star

Yavapai County Board of Supervisors Decision on 2nd Amendment to be Announced – Signals AZ

By Kristina Abbey | on December 30, 2019

"Talking Glass" Audible Stories on Signals AZ made possible by The Fain Signature Group - Celebrating 60 Years of Community Building

On Thursday, January 2nd at 8:30 am the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors will announce their decision whether to declare Yavapai County a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary County at the Yavapai County Admin Building at 1015 Fair Street, Prescott.

The 2nd Amendment reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.A 2nd amendment Sanctuary, also known as a gun sanctuary, refers to states, counties, or localities in the United States that have adopted laws or resolutions to prohibit or impede the enforcement of certain gun control measures perceived as violative of the Second Amendment. The sanctuary declaration would prohibit county employees from enforcing certain state gun control laws.

Residents of Yavapai County are encouraged to attend this meeting to hear the results of the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors decision on whether or not to declare Yavapai County a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary County.

Yavapai County Board of Supervisors Makes Decision on 2nd Amendment Sanctuary

Read the rest here:

Yavapai County Board of Supervisors Decision on 2nd Amendment to be Announced - Signals AZ

Moore pushes 2nd Amendment resolution – Monroe Evening News

Monroe County commissioner Greg Moore Jr. said he wants to introduce a resolution that would declare the county a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary County to protect a person's right to bear arms.

A Monroe County commissioner said he wants to introduce a resolution in January that would declare the county a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary County to protect a persons right to bear arms.

Greg Moore Jr., vice chairman of the board of commissioners, told the Monroe News he wants to ward off attempts on any gun bans in Michigan as has occurred in the State of Virginia. Restrictions on assault weapons and certain types of magazines is set to be enacted in Virginia in 2020, although 90 counties in the state have created resolutions proclaiming themselves as 2nd Amendment Sanctuary Counties there.

Moore, a Republican from Temperance, called the gun ban unconstitutional. He said he heard that there are bills pending in the state Senate that he called red flag laws that would allow authorities to take guns from citizens in Michigan. He said he would like Monroe County to go on record as supporting the 2nd Amendment in the U. S. Constitution that allows citizens to carry weapons with a license.

He said when he was sworn into office as a commissioner, he was asked to defend the rights of citizens and laws in both the state constitution and federal constitution.

This isnt a Republican or Democratic issue for me, its a 2nd Amendment right issue, Moore said Monday. This is something I'm passionate about. Im unabashedly pro second amendment. As our constitution states, our inalienable right to bear arms shall not be infringed. It is for this reason that I sent our chairman, legal team and administrator a resolution that would make the county a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary County.

He said he planned to bring the resolution to the boards second meeting in January (Jan. 21). It will not be on the agenda Tuesday when the board holds its first meeting of the new year. He said other counties in Michigan will be watching what Monroe does.

When he posted his plan on Facebook over the weekend, he was surprised that it was shared 500 times and received 400,000 views nationwide.

I was not expecting that, he said. Im not trying to make waves. In this climate, I realize this is a hot-button issue. I would hope every elected official would support the amendment and uphold both the state and federal constitution.

His post on Facebook drew the following comments: Kim Millikin wrote: Lets make many counties in Michigan 2nd amendment sanctuary counties. Im all in. Im in Tuscola... let us stand up for our rights now! Lets show them we are awake.

Phillip Hofmeister said in Michigan, the Board of Commissioners has no authority to bind the county sheriff to follow it. So the resolution, while touching and a nice gesture, has little effect in law.

Ron Rogers said he wanted to use Moores suggestion to send to his board of commissioners in Collier County, Florida, where he lived. We need to keep this movement pushing forward, Rogers said.

Original post:

Moore pushes 2nd Amendment resolution - Monroe Evening News

Secure the Schools, Save the Second Amendment – AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Secure the Schools, Save the Second Amendment, iStock-178748573

United States -(AmmoLand.com)-When discussing how mass shootings are a major vulnerability for our Second Amendment rights, there is one place in particular that Second Amendment supporters should be paying attention to: Schools. These are the worst types of mass shootings for obvious reasons. Not only is there a horrific tragedy, but all too often, the victims are children with a whole life ahead of them.

The mass shooting at Columbine prompted a new push for semi-auto bans. That was bad enough for Second Amendment supporters, but the Sandy Hook mass shooting was, in some ways, a game-changer. Why? In addition to a half-dozen teachers, 20 six-year-old children were killed. This was easily the most horrific event you could imagine outside a major terrorist attack. We will never know whether that horrific act was a crime or act of madness, due to the shooter committing suicide, but that doesnt negate the horror nor the damage done to our rights.

Lets face it, even though Second Amendment supporters beat back efforts to reinstate a federal semi-auto ban, in some ways, the cause of freedom still lost. It wasnt just seeing new semi-auto bans pass in several states, it also came in the form of anti-Second Amendment extremists upping their attacks.

Things went even further after Parkland. Now, any Second Amendment supporter knows how the bumbling cowards of Broward County failed to stop the shooter long before that tragic and horrific mass shooting. Those failures, though, are what Second Amendment supporters must address.

Again, it should be common sense for Second Amendment supporters to work to address school shootings. Again, if we dont have Second Amendment-compliant solutions, then Bloombergs bought-and-paid-for politicians and stooges will propose their extreme anti-Second Amendment agenda and a bunch of freaked-out soccer moms will back that agenda in order to protect their kids.

What sort of Second Amendment-complaint solutions should be considered? Making the schools harder targets is one of them. Passive security measures, like metal detectors and surveillance cameras, are one option. Another, of course, is better active security armed security presence, including, but not limited to, willing school personnel.

This generates controversy but shouldnt. Second Amendment supporters are all too familiar with the harsh reality that when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. Thankfully, the NRA School Shield program is being offered. This program is something Second Amendment supporters should be promoting at their local school boards if for no other reason than to get the refusal to consider the program on the record.

But that is only part of the solution. The fact is, as was shown with Parkland, the potential shooter gave off a lot of warning signs. Some existing laws could have addressed the situation: Second Amendment supporters may not like the Gun-Free School Zones Act, but it could be a tool to at least address some potentially dangerous students (keep in mind, the Parkland shooter was caught with ammunition and knives on school grounds) and given the expansion of concealed carry, there is much less chance a law-abiding citizen exercising their Second Amendment rights will be caught up in it. As is the case with other mass shootings, the debate over ERPOs/red flag laws also enters into this, along with the use (or lack of use) of civil commitment laws. Its not ideal, but we need to focus on what is achievable, and deal with the situation as it is, not how we wish it to be.

One voice Second Amendment supporters should back is that of Andrew Pollack. Since the death of his daughter in the Parkland shooting, Pollack has founded Americans for Childrens Lives and School Safety (CLASS). None of this groups proposals attack our Second Amendment rights, which should allow Second Amendment supporters to back them in good conscience.

Finally, if you have kids in school, this is important: Talk to them. Encourage them to say something if they see something. Make sure they are prepared to defend the Second Amendment. Find out what is going on in their schools. If they have concerns, sound the alarm.

Mass shootings in schools give anti-Second Amendment extremists the chance to make major gains. The smart move is for Second Amendment supporters to work for preventing them with a Second Amendment-compliant agenda. This isnt being a Fudd, an appeaser, or capitulating to those who oppose our freedoms, it is about heading off attacks on our rights before they happen.

About Harold Hutchison

Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.

Go here to read the rest:

Secure the Schools, Save the Second Amendment - AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Thank the Second Amendment: Texas church shooting stopped in its tracks by armed hero – Washington Examiner

Many Democrats and liberal media figures sneer at the good guy with a gun narrative when it comes to the debate over gun control, dismissing it as a myth clung to by Bible-thumping rednecks. Yet, if there was ever a single incident to remind us just how wrong they are, its the tragic church shooting that was thankfully stopped in its tracks on Sunday.

An armed intruder interrupted a morning service at West Freeway Church of Christ near Fort Worth, Texas, disrupting the ceremony and shooting several worshiping Christians. At least two people are dead as a result, including the suspect, and one injured.

But things could have been much, much worse. Two armed people attending the service intervened and shot the attacker in his tracks after just seconds, undoubtedly saving many lives.

Of course, this is still a tragedy. Someone was killed, and an entire congregation is surely traumatized. The community will need to heal and deserves compassion and support.

Politicizing the shooting with calls to vote for or against a political candidate would be gross. But it's worth pointing out the facts of what happened. Liberals will inevitably politicize future shootings and call for gun control or a rollback of Second Amendment rights. We must remind them that it doesn't hurt to let good people have guns. The good guy with a gun is an everyday reality, not a myth.

There is ample research, not just inspiring anecdotes, to confirm how common defensive gun use is. One study examining the prevalence of self-defense concluded that almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from about 500,000 to more than 3 million, in the context of about 300,000 violent crimes involving firearms.

Defensive gun use is not a myth. After how this heroic act unfolded, we should all thank God that this is the case.

Excerpt from:

Thank the Second Amendment: Texas church shooting stopped in its tracks by armed hero - Washington Examiner