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It was standing room only at the Osceola County Board of Commissioners meeting Feb. 3, as the Osceola County for 2nd Amendment Sanctuary Status presented the board with a resolution asking the board to affirm their support of the second amendment rights. (Herald Review photo/Cathie Crew)
REED CITY -- It was standing room only as the Osceola County Board of Commissioners were presented with a resolution for "Second Amendment sanctuary status" at its meeting Feb. 4.
The board voted 6-1 in favor of adopting the resolution. Commissioner Roger Elkins voted no, stating he was not against the resolution but would like more time to study it.
Jay Moyer, chairman of the local chapter of the group, Osceola County for 2nd Amendment Sanctuary Status asked the board to pass a resolution declaring "safe keeping of gun rights within each county" in Michigan.
"With everything that is going on in Virginia, and other areas of the country right now where they are going after gun rights, we are trying to head that off in Michigan," said Moyer, a 25-year resident of Osceola County.
The purpose of passing a resolution, Moyer said, is to affirm that local level politicians will support the constitution and make sure law enforcement abides by it as well.
"Our Second Amendment rights are under attack," Moyer said. "They are trying to take away our rights, in my mind. They are going after law-abiding citizens. Our resolution states that the county will not use tax dollars to support or enforce any unconstitutional laws.
"There are bills in the House right now that would allow courts to issue extreme protection orders if an individual poses a significant threat to himself or others by possessing a firearm," Moyer said. "What is the criteria to determine that and who makes that judgment?
"It's a dangerous slope, because then you are taking my rights away," he added. "If we keep going down this hole with the Second Amendment, we're going to lose it. I am asking you to adopt this resolution to show our state representatives and state legislators where our county stands on our second amendment rights."
The resolution states that "the board will not authorize or appropriate government funds, resources, employees, agencies, contractors, buildings, detention centers or offices for the purpose of enforcing a law that unconstitutionally infringes on the right of the people to keep and bear arms."
Osceola County Sheriff Ed Williams said the sheriff's department would be okay with the county commission passing whatever type of resolution they felt appropriate.
"I feel that the purpose of behind these types of resolutions is to let the elected officials in Lansing and Washington know that rural America does not want any infringement on their Second Amendment rights," Williams said. "I took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and of Michigan. I do not see a need to add any more laws pertaining to guns."
According to Moyer, there are now seven counties in Michigan that have adopted a resolution for Second Amendment sanctuary status, including Mackinac, Cheboygan, Otsego, Presque Isle, Oscoda and Kalkaska.
State legislators have introduced House resolution No. 219, which would declare the entire state a sanctuary state.
"Second Amendment sanctuary" refers to states, counties or localities that have adopted laws or resolutions to prohibit or impede the enforcement of certain gun laws considered to be unconstitutional, such as universal background checks, high capacity magazine bans, assault weapons bans and red flag laws.
