U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- By a 4-0 vote, Lake County, Fla., has become the Sunshine State’s first Second Amendment Sanctuary county, joining a movement that has been spreading across the country.
According to WRBW and WOBL News in Orlando, the County Commission’s unanimous vote on a sanctuary resolution means Lake County residents “are guaranteed their Second Amendment rights.”
Earlier this year, AmmoLand News began reporting on this phenomenon and interviewed one of the proponents who provided readers with a blueprint of sorts about how to start a similar effort in their counties.
At that time, David Campbell, a member of the Effingham County, IL commission, told explained in a telephone interview how the “2A Sanctuary” movement began in central Illinois.
“I basically sat down and wrote a (draft sanctuary) resolution,” he said at the time. “I got the state’s attorney to go along with it and he added some language to it.”
Passage of that resolution set in motion an effort that has now spread to 64 of the state’s 102 counties. The movement had just begun.
AmmoLand also was quick to cover the story when Presidio County, Texas joined the movement earlier this year.
Following the commission vote, the Unified Sportsmen of Florida issued a statement from Executive Director Marion Hammer. She credited support from Lake County Sheriff Payton Grinnell and Commissioner Josh Blake, who introduced the resolution.
Blake was quoted by the Daily Commercial stating, “Many Americans have been absolutely shocked to hear recent pronouncements by prominent national candidates who are vying for the presidency of the United States threatening and even outright calling for national gun bans on some of the most popular and commonly owned rifles in this country.”
The full text of the resolution may be read below.
He was also quoted by the local Fox News affiliate: “This draws a line in the sand. It doesn’t mince words, and I hope it sends a message to what can best be described as the authoritarian control freaks.”
“Gun Control activists have been put on notice that Lake County intends to protect the rights, freedom, and liberty guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America,” Hammer stated.
She was the first female president of the National Rifle Association and remains active in NRA politics.
The Second Amendment Sanctuary movement began last year, with county sheriffs in various states including New Mexico, Illinois and Washington announcing they would not enforce strict gun control laws they believe to violate the Constitution’s right to keep and bear arms guarantee.
One police chief in Washington’s rural city of Republic went before his city council late last year to declare he would not enforce provisions of gun control Initiative 1639, which was passed by just under 60 percent of Evergreen State voters in November 2018. That measure outlaws sale and possession of so-called “semiautomatic assault rifles” by young adults ages 18-20, and also invents a definition for such a firearm that includes every semi-auto rifle ever manufactured by the nature of its mechanics.
The significance of Second Amendment Sanctuary designations cannot be over-stated. County commissioners in the various jurisdictions participating in this movement put themselves up against state gun control laws. Where county sheriffs play the pivotal role is spelled out in the Lake County resolution, where they are described as “the last protectors of the U.S. Constitution” along with “we the people of the United States of America.”
Section 2 of the resolution notes, “The Lake County Board of County Commissioners hereby declares Lake County as a Second Amendment Sanctuary in order to preserve for the People of, on, and in Lake County, their rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America.”
There is no room for misunderstanding the resolution’s intent.
Lake County’s announcement comes at the same time Democrats bent on furthering the gun control agenda have taken the Kentucky governor’s office, the Virginia legislature and other offices.
Gun control is also going to be a central issue in the 2020 presidential and congressional races. Anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg reportedly spent $2.5 million to help swing the Virginia legislature to Democrats, according to CNBC, and there’s more money where that came from. Local and regional organizations are also busy raising money on the heels of Tuesday’s election, preparing for a battle royal next year as they attempt to seize the U.S. Senate and White House.
Lake County Florida Second Amendment Sanctuary Resolution 2019
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
I find it shameful that these declarations have to be made to protect our rights. Hopefully it will continue to spread in a ‘viral’ manner.
Declarations have to be made because the American People REFUSE to stand up and demand these unconstitutional laws be removed.
Cowardice and inactivity have their consequences.
Kennesaw GA. comes to mind, Requiring everybody to be armed. Kansas comes to mind nullifying all federal gun laws
Wyoming nullified all federal gun laws. They added that any federal agent MUST register at the county Sheriff and be escorted by a deputy, after all, the federal government has NO authority in the 50 states, only the ten square miles of D.C. and federal enclaves.
@ttj, So ICE agents can enforce the Immigration Act only within the ten square miles D.C. and federal enclaves?
This is a great strategy: the pro-Constitution electorates far outweigh the Urban Metro regions with high populations who have been brain washed into thinking restrictive gun law is actually helping keep them safe.
NICE!!!!!!
If it’s against the 2A to outlaw the right to keep and bear arms, then it goes without saying that it shouldn’t be necessary to draft laws that support it, either. It’s already baked into the cake. What needs to happen is that those who support the wonky left who draft anti-American laws and torts need to be targeted and defeated at the base level, instead of wasting time and energy playing this game of tit for tat. To say that you’re “protecting” a county or two because you have deemed it off limits, does nothing but validate the left’s… Read more »
Our REPUBLIC was designed for the American People to change, control or limit government, by force if necessary. Unfortunately, the American People have sat quietly as the city, state and federal governments declared themselves all-powerful and the people to be slaves.
The PEOPLE created the city, state and federal government. Governments are SERVANTS, not masters. Too bad Americans would rather kneel than stand.
The AMERICAN PEOPLE must undo these unconstitutional ‘gun control laws’ by force, because as we know, talking does nothing except beget more of the same.
A passive citizenship, okay one of acceptance and tolerance, is exactly how socialist governments rise to power to be all powerful. It was Aristotle, who said of it, “Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society.” This is when history has shown, even time and time again, that someone will rise to govern in absolute power, where that power will corrupt absolutely. There was a recent incident, not too long ago, where a private business owner of Cuba was told by Fidel Castro that he could not decorate his hotel they way that he wanted because it… Read more »
““Gun Control activists have been put on notice that Lake County intends to protect the rights, freedom, and liberty guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America,” Hammer stated.”
Good to know you’re on notice that Lake City doesn’t intended to allow your gun grabbing Mrs. Hammer.
Help me out here…Marion Hammer is a gun grabber? Where did that enter your way of thinking? Curious minds want to know…
Her support of the bump fire stock ban for one. Her continuing alliance with LaPierre. Her hit piece on Adam Kraut. Her attack on Florida Carry for not supporting compromised bills.
Any knowledge of Hammer’s history would lead a rational person to conclude she’s a gun grabber.
When you whine about a toy, that bump stock, it tells me everything I need to know about you. You are an idiot.
Marion Hammer has been a stalwart pro-Second Amendment defender. I feel you are reading too many toilet walls and not any pro-gun sources.
Either tetejaun is ignorant of what Hammer has done to violate our rights or he’s suffering from a severe case of cognitive dissonance.
How many of you called or wrote a letter in support of Lake County’s support of the Second Amendment right?
Reward supporters of the Constitution. Destroy the enemies of the Constitution.
What good would it do for me, a non-resident of Lake County, to write to the Lake County commissioners? A great number of older patriots, in our county, and I, are pressuring the commissioners in our county to join the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement.
One county over, the sheriff is all for it! Restore the Republic!
Hopefully this will spread nationwide. Shameful to have to declare yourself a ‘sanctuary’ just to keep your rights. I hope the events in VA will serve notice to gun owners that complacency will get your rights stripped away. Better get to the polls on election day if you want to keep them.
No, it didn’t. In order to be a 2A sanctuary they would have to refuse to enforce any and every arms law and arrest those who do. This is nothing more than pandering.
A totally useless resolution that does nothing. It offers NO protection against anything. It nullifies no federal gun law, all of which are unconstitutional. It nullifies no state gun law. You will be arrested by the county sheriff for violating either. This is grandstanding of the highest political theater order.
Much ado about nothing.
OK, so let’s say the county sheriff doesn’t agree with the resolution and arrests someone. Let’s say the prosecutor refuses to go along with it too. And let’s say that the county makes a major effort to get the truth out about the power of the JURY to everyone in the county and then the prosecutor goes before a jury and just say that the jury says NO VICTIM, NO CRIME. NO CRIME. NOT GUILTY. Now what Mr. Rocket scientist who apparently doesn’t know too much about the 10th amendment?
@FT, I think that it is rather more than grandstanding. I points out that all those unconstitutional Congressional and state legislative acts are not law, and never will be. They are only dictates enforced by violence or threat of violence.
What nullified those Congressional and state legislative acts was, and remains, The Constitution of the United States.