Cleburne County, AR –-(Ammoland.com)- Sheriff Chris Brown was born in a small gold mining community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Ever since childhood, he wanted to be a police officer. His calling stuck with him through college.
During Sheriff Brown’s senior year at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas, he took a job as a jailer for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology/Sociology, he was hired full time by the Salina Police Department. He would graduate the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in 2008.
In January of 2011, Sheriff Brown moved to his wife’s hometown of Heber Springs, Arkansas. He would start working for the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office in the patrol division. That summer, he would move up to the criminal investigation division.
Two years later, Sheriff Brown would start working for the Searcy Police Department. He would serve as a patrol officer, assistant team leader of the Special Response Team, firearms instructor, and tactical weapons instructor.
Sheriff Brown would run for Cleburne Sheriff in 2016. He would win the election, and the citizens would reelect him in 2018. Sheriff Brown takes his oath to the Constitution seriously. He has pledged not to violate that oath for any reason. He is also an avid supporter of the Second Amendment.
Recently Sheriff Brown has made waves by vowing not to enforce any Extreme Risk Protect Orders (ERPO). These red-flag laws confiscate guns without due process for the target of the ERPO. He realizes that by enforcing these orders, he would be violating his oath of office and betraying the citizens he is sworn to protect.
I had a chance to speak with Sheriff Brown about his duty as a Sheriff and his strict adherence to the Constitution of the United States.
John: You have taken a stance against red flag laws. Why did you decide to push back against them?
Sheriff Brown: Our job as law enforcement and my job as an elected official and agency head is to ensure that in everything we do, we are protecting the rights of our citizens. So often, we remain silent when we see something that we don’t like or don’t agree with, or in the case of RFLs, is flat out wrong and Unconstitutional. But if we remain silent, we are consenting. Gun control has long been a push from liberal legislators, and for the most part, gun owners and conservative legislators have allowed them to make their noise.
However, we are now starting to see even conservative legislators cave and agree to compromise our rights away. It’s time for us in the silent majority to start speaking up and telling our legislators and elected officials that we won’t tolerate these gross overreaches. Being the head of a law enforcement agency, and especially being an elected Sheriff allows me to have a strong voice in this fight, but we’ve got to stand together and make our voices heard. I am pushing back because I am the last line of defense between my citizens and an overreaching government.
John: Do you think the anti-crowd is trying to exploit emotions to get red flag laws passed?
Sheriff Brown: I certainly think that playing to one’s emotions is an effective tactic. I also think we have legislators that certainly do that because they know it is an effective tactic. However, I think (and hope) that the vast majority of our legislators bring with them a desire to serve their communities and make their communities a better place. Even though we fundamentally disagree on the best way to protect our communities, I have to believe that’s what the majority of legislators on both sides of the aisle are trying to do.
The benefit of using emotion to get laws passed is that most often, facts get overlooked. If anti-gun legislators were willing actually to look at and study the data, they would see very clearly that guns aren’t the problem. We have to start placing blame where the blame lies with the perpetrator. Maybe if we start there, we can begin to really pull the data apart and start identifying the true underlying causes of what makes people killers.
John: When you announced that you would not enforce red flag laws, what was the response?
Sheriff Brown: The overall response to my letter and my stance has been extremely supportive and positive. I have had some blowback, but it’s been very few people, using the same talking points as what anti-gun legislators push. In each of those cases, I’ve taken the time to try and educate, instead of ridicule, in the hopes that, through education, we can begin to change people’s minds.
We have to see that a lot of the animosity and anti-gun rhetoric comes out of a lack of knowledge and understanding of firearms. Instead of immediately getting frustrated and berating someone who holds anti-gun views, we should be trying to ask and answer their questions and concerns. Of course, there’s time to walk away from a conversation when there’s no longer a chance of it being productive, but that shouldn’t be our default response.
John: Do you hope that more law enforcement officers take a similar stance?
Sheriff Brown: It’s my hope that every member of law enforcement, our military, and our elected officials, who all take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the state they serve, would stand strong for our rights. Our rights were given to us by God, and our Constitution was written by “We the People” to restrict the government from encroaching on those rights. I believe that we have already seen, and quite frankly accepted, overreach in many areas, so I appreciate people and organizations like GOA who stand strong and refuse to compromise our rights away in the name of “safety.”
John: We hear that we must pass gun control “to protect law enforcement.” What would say to those that use that rhetoric?
Sheriff Brown: I would say the majority of people that hold that opinion have never worked in law enforcement. By definition, criminals don’t obey the law. Passing more laws isn’t going to encourage or cause them to obey the law any more than it does now. We have seen many, many cops who have been saved by an armed citizen stepping in to help. Passing gun control laws will only restrict the ability of those who follow the law to carry guns, and I would argue, it makes our job even less safe.
John: What would you say the Charlottesville’s Chief, who told Congress she thinks they should ban any gun that could kill someone?
Sheriff Brown: As I listened to her testimony before Congress, I was dumbfounded as to how someone in this profession could hold that view. Even by CDC statistics as cited by the Pew Research Center, only about 37% of all gun-related deaths are homicides, and a large percentage of those are gang-related. Overall, our gun-related murder rates today are lower than in the mid-1970s, even though gun-ownership rates have skyrocketed. Murder is against the law. And since criminals, by definition, break the law, if their intent is to murder someone, they will do it without a firearm. Banning firearms will not make our communities safer.
John: Why do you take your oath to the Constitution so seriously?
Sheriff Brown: Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” I whole-heartedly believe that, and it should be a priority for every American to defend our liberties. Taking an oath is my word, my bond, my promise. A handshake in this country used to be good enough to do business deals by, but it seems anymore that words mean nothing to us. Our young people need to see, and our country is depending on us to start taking our oath, our words, and our promises seriously again.
John: Do you think gun-control makes us safer or less safe?
Sheriff Brown: I absolutely think gun control makes us less safe. The people that are affected by gun-control legislation are the people that obey the law. Taking away their ability to defend themselves only leaves them more vulnerable and emboldens those that are not going to obey the law anyway.
John: Do your constituents support your views on people’s rights?
Sheriff Brown: I have had many people from my community, and from all over the state (even from several other states), reach out to me and voice their support for my stance. I think people desperately want their elected officials to stand up for what’s right, and to do the things they said they would. It’s our responsibility as elected officials to defend the rights of our citizens, and I’ve seen strong support for the elected officials who have done just that.
John: How can people find out more about your campaign?
Sheriff Brown: You can find me on Facebook at facebook.com/cbforsheriff, or on Instagram under sheriffchrisbrown. If your group would like me to come to speak at an event, I can also be reached by email at [email protected], or by calling the Cleburne County (Arkansas) Sheriff’s Office at (501)362-8143. Thank you for your support, and God Bless the USA!
AmmoLand wants to thank Sheriff Brown for taking time out of his day to answer our questions.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.
Good man!! I can see how he went from fresh academy grad in 2008 to sheriff in 8 years. Apparently you can do alot with a spine!!
We need more leaders like Sheriff Chris Brown.
@GlennH, Sheriff is an elected office, right? So you know what to do!
Great interview. America’s county sheriffs are the final line of defense against unconstitutional power-grabs by career Washington bureaucrats. Every candidate for sheriff should be asked where he or she stands on the Constitution, and what he or she intends to do when Federal or State governments attempt to take away our Constitutional rights. Sheriffs must thoughtfully plan their responses, instead of reacting on the spur of the moment. It sounds like Sheriff Brown has thought this through and knows what he’s doing.
THANK YOU SIR for standing up for we the citizens of America
RFL’s are as unconstitutional as was the imprisoning of Japanese Americans at the outset of WWII. Our country was wrong in that instance and is wrong in this as the “accused” has no chance to meet their accuser in a court of law and provide a defense for themselves. It is wrong in so many ways. Hamilton stated in the Federalist papers that the Government will only have the powers given to them by the Constitution and cannot make powers for themselves. For that reason, he felt the 2nd amendment was not needed as the Constitution did not give any… Read more »
Red flag laws are nothing but a plan to get law enforcement used to pulling gun raids. They know to many of take our oaths seriously and they need to get police used to pulling gun raids if they have any chance of enforcing their vision of a gun free utopia.
The fact that the position taken by this sheriff seems rare, shows how far off course we are.
That “Red Flag” law, that disregards the Constitution, will require those that enforce laws, that could be, and probably are illegal, to possibly be accomplices in a crime. The issuing party is the one that needs to be held accountable for attempting to deprive any American Citizen of their right to due process. TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 242 says that is a federal crime. Honor your Oath. Serve not Rule..
If someone is reported to be a danger to themselves and/or others, how is removing their guns and leaving them, a solution? I would feel safer if they were removed and their guns left!!! If the “deranged” individual who was left, following the red flag laws, commits an act of violence (with knife, car, firebomb, etc) will the initiators of these stupid laws be held responsible?
Thank you ! You are True patriot & we need more like this . Thankfully our local Sheriff has a similar view and supports the constitution 100 % . Many liberals in town have attempted three times to run candidate’s against him to oust him but have never been successful. He teaches the law enforcement side of conscealed carry classes in our town . He was a good patriotic man when he was a Sargent and has continued in this manner as sheriff for three terms .
I certainly applaud the Sheriff for his stance and activism. I also noted that he is equipped with a ‘weapon of war/assault rifle’ with a ‘high capacity’ magazine. This is the standard issue for all LEOs that are tasked with protecting and serving the public. Others that don’t agree with his view will be the ones at your door if/when confiscation is enacted.
I see he replaced that uncomfortable M4 adjustable stock with a MagPul MOE.
That’s a perfect example of the breadth of deception these morons are willing to employ. NO ONE… ANYWHERE… EVER… has gone to war with an AR15. They use an M16.. which is select-fire… secondly… the 30 round magazine is standard capacity… as evidenced by the initial design of the weapon and the magazine that COMES WITH THE WEAPON in states that arent already violating constitutional rights. I know you know this.. it just infuriates me to see such blatant propaganda… shocking that the pro-slavery, Jim Crow implementing Democrats are employing Nazi propaganda techniques… it’s quite literally textbook… of course the… Read more »
We have a conservative sheriff in Mesa County Colorado who says he supports the Second Amendment-I think he does. But he also says he will enforce the “law” when it comes to red flag or other laws no matter what. People have heard since the German Police pre-WWII and so many other countries that turned wrong enforced those anti-freedom laws too. If the idiot in Texas were to become president (dictator) he would go get the guns and guess who the armed, paid and order obeying getters will be just as they have in other countries that went wrong…
@jh45gun, Francis “the taking mule” O’Rourke is not an idiot. Liar, schemer, drug user, cross dresser, failed burglar, and unprepossessing non-thinker, but he does not rise to the level of idiot!
Like you, I hope Matt has an enlightenment before the first of January.
Vern…Our current sheriff “Matt” is stubborn and he will if told, order his people to go get the guns as will most LEOs regardllss of location or type of LEO. They did it in so many other countries to think that somehow we Yankees are more special is folly–we aren’t and neither are they; just the way it is. Wild Bill…, No I am pretty sure O’Rourke is an idiot.
With a better look, this guy should be Secretary of State!
The President just went thru what a “RED FLAG” law is to a Gun Owner, I reached out to the WH to Express my Thoughts about it. Contact WH @ 3 W’s dot white house dot gov slash contact.
The left constantly pushes the idea that facts don’t matter when you have negative emotions on your side. To their way of thinking, if you can even call it that, is that ’tis easier to take a 2×4 to someone’s head, than to elevate the bar using your intellect. When it comes “right” down to it, the only thing I want on my side are more people like Sheriff Chris Brown, and my sidearm. The rest can go have their emotional meltdown(s.) Science, after all, has proven that the quicker you resort to name-calling and negativity, the lower the IQ… Read more »
I put some time and a bit of thought into my “comment.” If it is not allowed, please advise how I should change it so that it is allowed. As expected, it has disappeared once again.
Perhaps it is the ‘links’ that are getting my comment discarded? “….gun owners and conservative legislators have allowed them to make their noise.” Which has degraded and infringed on our rights, not just under the Constitution, but also those “inalienable rights” from God! I pray to never need voice the same lament as that of my hero, Dr. Susanna Gratia Hupp, in her testimony before congress: Go to Youtube and search her name. As she points out, she had rather be sitting there facing a felony gun charge and have her parents alive! I, YMMV, already am willingly risking some… Read more »
Yea, the founding fathers “voted” to remove tyrants. With bullets.
“….gun owners and conservative legislators have allowed them to make their noise.” Which has degraded and infringed on our rights, not just under the Constitution, but also those “inalienable rights” from God! I pray to never need voice the same lament as that of my hero, Dr. Susanna Gratia Hupp, in her testimony before congress: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvTO-y-B2YM – As she points out, she had rather be sitting there facing a felony gun charge and have her parents alive! I, YMMV, already am willingly risking some ‘felony’ in my “Civil Disobedience,” in that I will obey no man-made law that would deny… Read more »
I wonder what he would do if he found out someone in his county had an unregistered machine gun, short barrel rifle or sawed off shotgun. That would REALLY let you know where he stood on the Constitution.