The Needles, California, city council approved a “Second Amendment Sanctuary City” declaration and is seeking state and county approval on gun control exemptions.
The declaration was passed unanimously on June 15 and the Sacramento Bee reported that city officials planned to meet “with San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials in San Bernardino July 3.”
The Associated Press reports that the city’s attorney is now working on a resolution to allow out-of-state concealed carry permit holders to carry guns for self-defense in Needles. The resolution will be sent to state lawmakers for approval.
The wording of the declaration as a “Second Amendment Sanctuary City” was a purposeful play on Democrat-controlled cities in the state who have declared themselves sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants.
The Bee quoted Needles Mayor Jeff Williams, saying:
The City Council wanted our community to know that we support their Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. While we recognize that all lawful gun owners are responsible for ensuring they are compliant with state and federal gun laws, we also recognize that the State of California cannot adopt laws that impair the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment.
In addition to seeking some sort of concealed carry permit reciprocity, city leaders are also seeking to exempt Needles from the state’s ammunition background check law.
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.