NM County Rallies Against Gun Control Legislation, Votes To Become 'Second Amendment Sanctuary'
Usually, the phrase “sanctuary county” doesn’t conjure pleasant feelings in conservatives who believe in enforcing the law. However, when the law in question involves gun control and the sanctuary is being provided to the Second Amendment, well, that’s a Glock of a different color.
According to KRQE-TV in Albuquerque, commissioners in Quay County, New Mexico, have voted to declare the county a “Second Amendment Sanctuary County” in response to gun control bills currently kicking around in the state legislature.
The most controversial one seems to be House Bill 8, which would introduce universal background checks on gun sales, including those between private parties.
A January hearing regarding the bill produced plenty of controversy in the New Mexico state capitol, including sheriffs who said that the bill wouldn’t be effective.
“I oppose this bill. The reason for opposition is because it doesn’t accomplish its goal. The goal is to reduce crime and evidence has proven this bill will not accomplish that,” one public commenter said, according to another KRQE report.
And then there’s also the logistical angle:
“The bill doesn’t spell out how people would go about getting that federal instant background check. It also doesn’t elaborate on how the state would proceed when a buyer and seller break the law,” KRQE reported.
When the New Mexico Sheriff’s Association is coming out against a bill Democrats say will reduce crime, you can pretty much be sure it won’t reduce crime. In fact, the sheriffs say that in addition to being unenforcable, there’s also the fact that it would only be a detriment to law-abiding citizens. Criminals, as you may perhaps have guessed, don’t particularly care about laws or background checks.
And that’s why Quay County is now, thanks to a unanimous vote by the commission, a “Second Amendment Sanctuary County.” The commissioners voted on Monday, according to the Quay County Sun.
Attention from the state capital followed.
“The House Republicans issued a statement Wednesday saying they are proud of Quay County for standing up for the rights of New Mexicans,” KRQE reported.
“Curry and Union Counties passed similar situations earlier this week and Eddy County Commissioners are slated to vote on their version next Tuesday.”
This kind of stand for gun rights doesn’t get as much play as it should. It isn’t just universal background checks that Democrats in New Mexico are pushing.
As the Heritage Foundation’s Joshua Nelson noted at The Daily Signal:
“New Mexico’s gun owners will face legislation such as programs to remove firearms from seemingly suicidal or dangerous people. Other measures would restrict teachers from carrying guns in the classroom and extend child neglect laws if guns aren’t properly stored at home.”
So-called “red flag” legislation has been a popular liberal agenda item since the Feb. 14, 2018, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Florida, despite the fact that utilizing due process procedures already in place shouldn’t be prohibitively difficult or take much time.
What we can surmise, then, is there’s a significant threat this sort of legislation will often end up being used in cases where authorities can’t clear simple evidentiary hurdles to deprive someone of Second Amendment rights but want to seize the individual’s guns nonetheless.
As for teachers carrying guns in the classroom, perhaps legislators ought to read the report from the Florida state commission set up to investigate ways to prevent school shootings in the wake of the Parkland massacre.
Among its findings was a recommendation to have armed and trained educators on campus — something the commission said could have stopped a shooter who had the opportunity to reload five times.
However, evidence never deters people who hold it as a matter of faith that guns are bad things and legislation that makes it harder to exercise gun rights are good.
It’s hard to believe we need sanctuary locales to protect against gun-grabbers who refuse to bow to the Constitution or to facts, but alas, that’s where we are.
We can only hope more counties across this great nation follow the example set by Quay County.
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