by Larry Chowning
After nearly two and a half hours of listening to speakers, the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution on December 3 that declares Middlesex a Second Amendment Sanctuary County.
The approval came on a 3-1-1 vote. Pinetop District supervisor Chip Holt, Hartfield district supervisor John Koontz, and Jamaica District Supervisor Wayne Jessie voted in favor, Saluda District supervisor Pete Mansfield voted against it, and Harmony Village District supervisor Kathleen Swinehart abstained.
The Middlesex County Historic Courthouse boardroom holds 115 people. There were so many at the meeting there that supervisors voted to move the meeting to St. Clare Walker Middle School auditorium at Locust Hill. At the school there were 160 people seated.
Over 40 people spoke at the hearing with most speaking in favor of making Middlesex a gun sanctuary. Over 30 rural counties in Virginia have already declared their counties gun sanctuaries.
Democratic Governor George Northam and others are introducing a series of gun laws (Bill-16) in the Virginia General Assembly that would, among other things, make felons of gun owners who own certain types of semi-automatic weapons, or shotguns with magazines that hold more than seven cartridges.
The proposal has riled gun-owners across the state and in Middlesex County. The approved resolution is designed to prevent the county sheriff from having to enforce laws that they feel are unconstitutional.
Middlesex County Sheriff David Bushey told supervisors the Virginia Sheriff’s Association has come out in strong support of Virginians to have the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment. He said he also supports the constitutional right of Middlesex citizens to bear arms. After he spoke he received a loud round of applause from gun-supporters at the meeting.
The board approved a resolution previously used by Botetourt County to affirm that Middlesex County is now a Second Amendment Sanctuary County.
The resolution stated, “The board is concerned that introduced legislation for the 2020 Virginia General Assembly, if passed, could infringe upon rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Virginia Constitution.
“Now therefore be it resolved that the board of supervisors of Middlesex County declares Middlesex County a Second Amendment Sanctuary County and fully affirms its support of the rights ensured and protected by the Constitution of the United States and Virginia, including the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.
“Be it, further resolved that the board urges the Virginia General Assembly, the United States Congress and other agencies of the state and federal government to vigilantly preserve and protect those rights by rejecting any provision, law, or regulation that may infringe, have the tendency to infringe, or place an additional burden on the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.
“Be it, further resolved that the board directs its staff to forward a copy of this resolution to the county’s elected representatives in the Virginia General Assembly and the United States Congress and the Governor of Virginia.”
More information and comments made by citizens and supervisors will be published in next week’s Sentinel.
