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A resolution affirming the Second Amendment rights of McLeod County residents was approved by the County Board in a 3-2 vote March 21 during a well-attended regular meeting.

The resolution states McLeod County is, dedicated to the Second Amendment; and, The McLeod County Board of Commissioners hereby affirms the Second Amendment rights of the citizens of McLeod County, Minnesota. The McLeod County Board of Commissioners hereby declares its opposition to any infringement on the right of law-abiding citizens, except as otherwise restricted under current law as of the date of this resolution, to keep and bear arms to the extent of its legal authority.

Board Member Doug Krueger, who said board members and county staff worked hard on the resolution during workshops, acknowledged, some people wanted to have teeth in (the resolution). But he hoped the version presented for a vote was in such a state that it could receive unanimous approval. Before commissioners voted on the matter, members of the public were invited to speak. Several took the opportunity.

Attendees who addressed the board largely supported the resolution, though some worried about the language used within it. One speaker said the language regarding law-abiding citizens could be too broad and leave room for rights to be infringed due to unforeseen laws in the future. Another resident questioned language in the resolutions supporting fact statements, which focuses on self-defense within the home. Others expressed concern about the states DFL-controlled House, Senate and governors office, which has allowed for several left-leaning bills to be passed this legislative session.

Gun safety and control bills have also been among those with traction. Worries about such legislation prompted speakers to ask the County Board to act quickly. One resident who spoke against the resolution said supporters appeared to want it rushed through without sufficient public scrutiny, and shared her fears for the safety of two sons in law enforcement.

The resolution considered this past week is independent of a resolution passed in a 3-2 vote by a prior McLeod County Boad 10 years ago. That resolution declared all federal gun control laws null and void.

Until we agree on a new (resolution), Im personally not interested in revoking ... the (resolution) thats in place now, Krueger said. We were kind of pushed by our public to take this up, and (pushed) by whats going on in St. Paul.

He pointed to the oaths he took to uphold the Constitution when he enlisted in the military, and again when he was elected, as motivations for supporting the resolution. He told residents in attendance he thought the language contained in the resolution could be believed in and enforced.

Theres a couple of you that feel it was watered down a little bit, he said. I (had that) knee jerk reaction at first, too, that it did not say what the first one says. But I think our county attorney did a nice job of not putting things in there that were a wish.

Board Chairman Paul Wright said he was not impressed one bit with gun control laws currently in discussion in St. Paul.

Somebody is going to say, Oh my gosh, either you have to support this (resolution) or you must be a gun control advocate. Im telling you that I am not a gun control advocate by any means, he said. Im a firearms owner, Ive spent hundreds of hours in youth firearm training. ... But Im looking at my role here as a county board member.

Wright said he felt the resolution was symbolic, and not a matter under the jurisdiction of the county government. The county acting beyond its authority calls into question, he argued, its integrity when it has many other matters to balance. He said his oath as an elected official was for the entire Constitution, and one amendment should not receive special attention. He suggested he would be more in favor of a resolution supporting the entire Constitution, and that picking one issue felt like a partisan act.

Krueger said it was the state government that has made the issue of the Second Amendment partisan.

My friendly argument back is it is a county matter. We took an oath. Its not partisan, he said.

Board Member Nathan Schmalz had trouble becoming all in for the resolution, because even some of the people who may be supporting, lets say, the gun rights issue, state they still have issues with the language.

He also wondered if the issue was appropriate for a county board.

When I ran for this office, I took it seriously that I ran nonpartisan, and I still have that belief, he said. Maybe youll say that this is nonpartisan, and that may be.

I do not feel the partisan issue in supporting the Constitution. I just dont feel it, Krueger said.

The resolution ultimately passed with a 3-2 vote. Krueger, Board Member Joe Nagel and Board Member Daryl Luthens voted in favor. Krueger and Schmalz voted against the resolution.

View post:
County passes new Second Amendment resolution | Local ... - Crow River Media

To the editor The Second Amendment means different things to different people.

It can mean the ability to feed your family or provide sport and challenge through hunting. Some people have their weapons for defense. This can mean defending livestock from predators, your home and family from intruders or criminals. Some see it as a requirement to maintain a well-regulated militia if needed.

While these are all valid reasons, this is not the reason that the Second Amendment is the most important.

The importance of the Second Amendment is that it should be used to protect the other amendments, whenever they may be challenged or restricted. It was specifically written by our forefathers to protect the other amendments, in case the government in the future tried to restrict the other rights granted to us in the Constitution, like our right to speech, religion, fair trial, etc.

The Second Amendment is the most important amendment because if the government restricts or eliminates this amendment, it can then take away any of the other rights granted to us in the Bill of Rights without resistance. The Second Amendment is the protection given to the other amendments and allows us to uphold our Constitution.

SAMUEL JENSEN

Zillah

See the article here:
Letter: Second Amendment keeps other amendments safe - Yakima Herald-Republic

Less than 24 hours after a GOP lawmaker filed an amendment to gun legislation that could potentially allow open carrying of firearms in Florida, the change has been withdrawn, disappointing Second Amendment advocates.

That leaves the gun legislation, a permitless carry bill, to proceed to a vote before the full Florida House of Representatives later this week.

That bill, HB 543, would repeal the requirement that Floridians who carry a concealed weapon must get a license through the state. It would also mean Floridians would not have to take a gun safety and training course.

Luis Valdes, the state director of Gun Owners of America, told the Phoenix that he was disappointed that the open carry amendment, which his organization has been advocating for, will no longer be considered.

It comes down to legislative leadership, Valdes said.

The amendment showed up Tuesday afternoon, when Hillsborough County Republican Mike Beltran filed the open carry amendment, electrifying gun rights advocates who have been pushing for more than a month for open carry to be included in the permitless carry bill.

But Beltran withdrew the amendment shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

I think its good policy, but this wasnt the right vehicle or the right time, Beltran told the Phoenix. I think that we can try to lock in permitless and then where we can get this another time.

House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo told reporters in Tallahassee two weeks ago that the permitless carry bill was fine just as it was crafted, without the open carry provision.

And Passidomo was even more direct in saying that she opposed the open carry provision, in part because the Florida Sheriffs Association didnt support the measure.

Gun rights advocates have criticized the permitless (or as they prefer the term constitutional carry) carry bill as not being true constitutional carry because it does not allow for the open display of firearms a measure that is allowed in all but three states in the country (Ilinois and New York are the other two states).

Curiously absent during much of the public discussion about open carry has been Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has said twice publicly when asked that he supports the open carry provision and would sign such a bill into law, if the Legislature sent such a bill to his desk.

That somewhat passive stance has alienated some gun rights advocates like Matt Collins. He told the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee earlier this month that DeSantis looked impotent in failing to get GOP leadership to rally behind open carry.

I like Governor DeSantis, but quite frankly, the inability to get open carry included in this bill is embarrassing for him, Collins said. Its failed leadership and its weak. And finally, it begs the question that if the governor cannot get a very friendly Legislature to add open carry to this bill, then how do we think hes going to do trying to convince Congress to act on anything if he becomes president?

Original post:
'Open Carry' measure now off the table, disappointing Second ... - Florida Phoenix

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Real-life Second Amendment example gains praise, Paltrow ski crash trial set to resume and more top headlines - Yahoo News UK

Lawmakers have yet to pass the red flag bill, a measure that would allow police, relatives and mental health professionals to petition judges for extreme risk protection orders to remove guns from those who are deemed a danger to themselves or others.

The red flag law, which was backed by former President Donald Trump in 2019, is often controversial. Opponents, mostly Republicans, argue the law violates due process, since guns can be taken away from people identified as a danger as their case is being heard in court. Supporters, often Democrats, say it allows law enforcement to act upon warning signs and prevent tragedies ranging from suicides to mass shootings.

The state Legislature is in recess until Apr. 11 and will likely adopt the measure and send it to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for signature.

Preliminary research indicates red flag laws can reduce gun-related injuries or deaths, but enforcement is uneven in the 19 states that have adopted them. The laws are enforced even less frequently in counties with Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions, according to research and news reports. In Colorado, 48 percent of non-Second Amendment sanctuary counties had at least one extreme risk protection order petition filed in 2020, research shows. But only 24 percent of all 37 sanctuary counties had at least one petition filed during the same period.

Some Democratic lawmakers acknowledge the effectiveness of the law hinges on how often it is enforced.

We have been saying these laws will only be as effective as they are known about, as they are exercised and as they are enforced, Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Royal Oak Democrat and primary sponsor of one of the Michigan red flag bills, told Bridge.

Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-Keego Harbor, told Bridge she hopes local officials realize the effectiveness of laws. She said if local law enforcement refuses to petition for extreme risk protection orders, Michigan State Police can do so instead.

They will eventually see how these things actually work, Bayer said of local authorities skeptical of the law. I dont know what they are so afraid of. This is not an offense on anybodys rights in any way. You are basically saving peoples lives by doing this.

Of the 53 counties with Second Amendment resolutions, 31 are Second Amendment sanctuaries and the other 22 declared support for Second Amendment rights. Language in 26 of those counties allows local sheriffs or prosecutors to refuse enforcement of laws they believe violate the Constitution.

In eight counties, the resolutions specifically oppose the Democratic gun bills or would restrict government funds or resources used to enforce such laws. They are Alcona, Grand Traverse, Hillsdale, Iron, Macomb, Monroe, Osceola and Tuscola counties.

The 53 counties have a combined population of 3.5 million people, about 30 percent of Michigans residents, according to a Bridge analysis of U.S. Census data.

The resolutions are not pronouncements that carry any legal weight, said Sam Levy, regional legal director for the national anti-gun violence group Everytown Research and Policy.

If theres a question about the constitutionality or enforceability of a law, those matters get resolved in courts, Levy said.

In Lake County, commissioners say lawmakers and policymakers should focus on enforcing current laws on the books, Lodholtz said.

They can pass all the laws but if they dont enforce them, what good are they? he said.

Lodholtz said he supports the concept of universal background checks, which expand background check requirements for pistols in Michigan to all firearms, including long guns.

But Lodholtz called the proposed red flag law a non-starter that shouldnt be enforced. The Michigan bill would allow a judge to issue a temporary order first to confiscate someones gun and grant a full hearing within 14 days, which Lodholtz deems unconstitutional.

Additionally, Lodholtz said he fears the law could be used for retaliation by someone making false accusations, even though people who knowingly make false accusations are subject to up to five years in jail and/or a fine up to $20,000 under the proposed bill.

Lake County Sheriff Rich Martin told Bridge he supports the universal background check law and safe storage requirements. He said he is not opposed to the concept of red flag laws, but shared concerns about the 14-day period and the potential of fabricated accusations.

Martin said he does not want to determine what laws are constitutional or not, noting he will assess future enforcement on a case-by-case basis. But he added he would resist enforcing the red flag law if that meant putting his officers in jeopardy.

The whole point of red flag laws is (to) prevent injuries to individuals, right? How does it prevent injuries to individuals if Im putting my officers in an unnecessary environment (where) we know there are firearms (and) the potential for them to get injured? he said.

More:
Michigan is passing gun safety laws. Most counties may not enforce them - Bridge Michigan