By: José Niño
Not everyone is fully submitting to gun control in anti-gun bastions.
Washington state, known for its draconian gun control laws, is witnessing a growing revolt from below as county sheriffs throughout the state have signed on to a letter vowing to protect constitutional freedoms.
The uncertainty that has arisen from the Wuhan virus pandemic, combined with societal unrest, and Biden’s threats to strip us of what little bit is left of our Second Amendment rights, has prompted 37 of Washington’s 39 sheriffs to sign this letter, which reassures residents of Washington living outside the state’s prominent urban centers that their rights will be safeguarded.
Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett is the leader of this campaign to get Washington sheriffs to sign a letter pledging to respect their constitutional obligations.
“The message we want to send is one, is we want to minimize their fear, and we want to put them at ease,” Chelan stated.
In the letter they signed, the sheriffs spelled out how they “publicly reassert our individual and collective duty to defend all of the constitutional rights of our citizens.”
Broadly speaking, sheriffs in my rural counties nationwide have been reticent about enforcing Wuhan virus mask and lockdown mandates.
These sheriffs have taken cues from the broader Second Amendment sanctuary movement which has grown exponentially over the past decade. In Washington’s case, these sheriffs have doubled-down by asserting that they won’t enforce some of Washington’s newly enacted gun control laws.
The sheriffs were clear about their devotion to the Second Amendment in declaring that “We individually and collectively pledge to do everything within our power to steadfastly protect the Second Amendment and all other individual rights.”
Washington State currently has sub-park rankings of 38th and 30th place for Guns & Ammo magazine’s rankings for Best States for Gun Owners and Best States for Concealed Carry, respectively.
Furthermore, the state has a Democrat trifecta, with Democrats thoroughly dominating both chambers of the Washington State Legislature. All things considered, there’s not much Second Amendment enthusiasts can do as far changing policy in the Evergreen State is concerned. At least at the state level.
The most practical course of action for gun owners in Washington to take is to tap into local politics and elect sheriffs who will stand up to anti-Second Amendment transgressions that politicians carry out at either the state or federal level. Politics is becoming more unconventional in present-day America, which will require Second Amendment supporters to adapt to the changing circumstances.
Local politics offers grassroots activists a work-around that’s worth exploring.
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Sign up for his mailing list here. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at [email protected]. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here.