I have an issue with having to go to a dealership and do a background check before you can even trade a gun or sell a gun to your brother or your best friend. That’s my concern, that’s infringing upon our second amendment rights.
Russell Shafer
Quay County Sheriff
February 20, 2019
‘Second Amendment Sanctuary Counties’ Declared in New Mexico
[I like this trend (see also the map here).—Joe]
As a New Mexico resident (and California transplant … but we left the politics behind), I am both heartened by this happening in our adopted home state, but sad and angry that it’s come to that.
It feels as though our state government is a subsidiary of Bloomberg Inc.
The urban vs rural divide is a problem as old as the Roman empire, probably older.
It is not going to get solved by any kind of large overarching political system.
The best attempt at it was the US Constitution, limited government and federalism: minimal and heavily constrained powers at the national level, state, county, city tiers below, with the broadest powers at the bottom, closest to the people that had to live with those powers and the people that implemented them. Then a grand set of THOU SHALL NOTs laid over it all to prevent those powers from being used at any level in a way that would facilitate tyrannies.
Truly a shame that we went away from that enlightened system.
It’s good to see a few people in law enforcement actually considering their responsibilities, rather than seeking to expand their “authority”. (There is a difference)
Of course very square millimeter of the United States is a second amendment sanctuary according to the Supreme Law of the Land, so we’re only discussing the minority of sheriffs, the few holdouts, who aren’t yet quite willing to totally violate their oaths of office in all matters.
“According to Lobb, the state police, however, can still enforce the new legislation in these counties despite their declarations. “
What a cluster hump. But I suppose it is inevitable that we’ll have government entities combatting government entities at some stage.
I have yet to see any statement from one of these semi-constitutional sheriffs offering support for innocent citizens who are attacked by their state of fed gov.
I mean, they seem to be saying that they’d stand aside and do nothing.
It is one thing for them to say, “I will not attack you for exercising your rights”, and quite another to say, “I will step in and defend you if anyone attacks you for exercising your rights.”
What is the role of a sheriff? Is it to stand aside and pledge to do nothing against you? He’ll not join in on the SWAT raid while the others have at it. Is that what we’re applauding here? Oh goody! A sheriff, here and there, who won’t actively violate every single one of our constitutional rights. They’ve pledged to stand down and look the other way, to not participate while the state or the Feds raid your home, stomp your cat, murder your son and shoot your nursing wife. Your property could be reduced to ashes and bones by the very people charged with protecting your rights, but at least your local sheriff wasn’t involved. That’s hardly comforting.
Maybe I missed something, but so far this is what they seem to be saying. It’s a start; don’t get me wrong. It has to start somewhere, and then grow into a movement, but passive non aggression is hardly a declaration of active support.