From: WND
Sheriffs take bold stand to protect citizens from federal overreach
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Efforts at the national and state level to pass new gun-control laws have stirred up an unintended backlash – local officials who are not only rejecting the new legislation, but actively “nullifying” gun-control laws already in place.
Among the hot topics at the conference: examples of local and county officials who have declared gun-control laws already on the books null and void in their communities.Police Chief Mark Kessler of Gilberton Burough, Pa., is among more than 200 law enforcement officers, state lawmakers, county officials and concerned citizens who gathered Friday at the annual convention of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, or CSPOA, in St. Charles, Mo.
On Jan. 3 of this year, Kessler drafted a “Second Amendment Protection Resolution” for his little town of roughly 800 residents, which, when passed by city officials a few weeks later, Kessler told the conference, “nullified every single gun-control law in the nation.”
“I have a very unique view,” Kessler said. “If you want to own a firearm, carry a gun under your jacket or over your jacket, the Second Amendment is your concealed carry permit, period. … It has nothing to do with self-defense; it has to do with [freedom from] tyranny.”
Kessler told the conference, “Nullification is the key. We just have to tell them, ‘That’s it.’ I drew my line in the sand back on Jan. 3. … One person can make a difference; you just need to do something about it.”
But apparently, Kessler is not alone.
Michael Peroutka of the Institute for the Constitution, an attorney and former Constitution Party candidate for president, also told the conference about Carroll County, Md., which on May 22 adopted a resolution declaring it a “Second Amendment sanctuary county.”
The resolution declares the Maryland Firearms Safety Act of 2013, or MFSA – which reportedly bans the sale of 45 types of rifles and magazines and requires law-abiding citizens to submit to licensing fees, background checks, fingerprinting and renewal fees – clearly violates the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution along with Article 2 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights.
The resolution further declares that the unconstitutional provisions of the act will not be enforced in Carroll County.
The resolution quotes Alexander Hamilton in Federalist Paper No. 78: “No legislative act, therefore, contrary to the Constitution, can be valid. To deny this, would be to affirm, that the deputy is greater than his principal; that the servant is above his master; that the representatives of the people are superior to the people themselves; that men acting by virtue of powers, may do not only what their powers do not authorize, but what they forbid.”
GROWING LIST OF SHERIFFS, ASSOCIATIONS AND POLICE CHIEFS SAYING ‘NO’ TO OBAMA GUN CONTROL
UPDATE: We’ve been contacted by police chiefs and other groups or individuals who want to be counted among the valiant as well! Look for their list after the sheriffs.
The following sheriffs, state sheriff’s associations, and police chiefs have vowed to uphold and defend the Constitution against Obama’s unconstitutional gun control measures. We applaud these public servants for their courage and conviction.
The remarkable thing about what these brave men and women are doing is that nobody told them to do it. Neither the CSPOA nor any other organization that we are aware of contacted sheriffs across the nation and asked them to make statements; this is something sheriffs did on their own, or because their constituents requested it of them. Soon, people started submitting letters and links to us, and it was such a remarkable thing that we started to collect all the names and list them together. Then the miracle happened: Other sheriffs across the nation have been inspired by the courage of those who stood first. Now we see the power of standing, even if you fear you may stand alone.
NOW, powered by the gaining momentum of this movement, the CSPOA has joined with other like-minded organizations in a largely volunteer effort to contact all the remaining sheriffs and ask them for a statement. You can read more about this effort here.
“I call on sheriffs all over this nation to add their voices to the growing numbers of faithful protectors of our freedom.”
- Richard Mack
TOTAL STATE SHERIFFS ASSOCIATIONS: 18
Updated 06/03/2013
Note: A statement from a state association does not necessarily mean that every sheriff in the state supports it. One such case is is Florida, listed below. This statement was voted on and approved by a majority of the sheriffs in the association, but not by EVERY sheriff in the state. While other lists may include all sheriffs within such a state, we have chosen to list associations and individual sheriffs separately.
| ASSOCIATION | REASON FOR LISTING |
|---|---|
| California Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Colorado Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Florida Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Georgia Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Illinois Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Indiana Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Kentucky Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Michigan Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Minnesota Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Missouri Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association | Link |
| Nebraska Sheriffs Association | Link |
| New Mexico Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Oklahoma Sheriffs Association | Link |
| South Carolina Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Texas Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Utah Sheriffs Association | Link |
| Wyoming Sheriffs Association | Link |
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