Ten Colorado counties have declared “Second Amendment Sanctuary” status against a gun confiscation law being pushed by state-level Democrats.
On March 8, 2019, Breitbart News reported that eight counties had made sanctuary declarations. The counties are Custer, Freemont, Kiowa, Moffat, Montezuma, Otero, Rio Blanco, and Weld Counties. The Lamar Ledger reports that Prowers County commissioners declared their county a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” on Monday.
Prowers County commissioner Wendy L. Buxton-Andrade said, “We are elected officials when we raise our hand to take office. We are sworn to protect the United States Constitution. In passing this resolution, we are protecting that right and protecting our constituents from those trying to take away that constitutional right, the Second Amendment.”
The Gazette reports that El Paso County commissioners declared their county a sanctuary as well.
The Ledger notes that counties are making these Second Amendment declarations as state-level Democrats push “a bill, known as the ‘red flag’ bill, which would allow a judge to order the confiscation of firearms from someone found to be a danger to themselves or others.”
California has a red flag law, and it did nothing to stop the November 7, 2018, shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill in which 12 innocents were killed. Florida has a red flag law, and it did not prevent the August 26, 2018, shooting at Jacksonville Landing in which three innocents were killed. Florida’s law also failed to prevent the January 23, 2019, SunTrust Bank attack in Sebring where five innocents were shot to death.
Illinois also has a red flag law, but it did not prevent the February 15, 2019, attack on the Henry Pratt Company in which five innocents were killed.
Many in Colorado who oppose the Democrats’ red flag push believe the law would succeed in allowing the confiscation of firearms from law-abiding citizens without any real due process. Rep. Dave Williams (R-Colorado Springs) gave voice to such concerns, saying, “I feel strongly about this being a violation of the Constitution.”
He told the Lamar Ledger that the sanctuary declarations “[give] sheriffs the needed support to essentially ignore these laws.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.