Attempted gun grab causes huge backlash among America's sheriffs

Tuesday, February 19, 2013 by: J. D. Heyes
Tags: gun grab, backlash, Sheriffs

(NaturalNews) Speaking at a politically friendly forum of law enforcement officials and civilians in Minneapolis Feb. 4, President Obama claimed that a "consensus" was beginning to form around what he termed "commonsense" gun control measures he is pushing in the nation's capital.

In the first of several campaign-style events aimed at ginning up support for such new measures as the reinstatement of a ban on the sale of military look-alike guns, universal background checks for all gun purchases and a raft of other measures, Obama once again invoked the tragic murders of 20 children and six adults at Newtown, Conn., to make his push.

But as horrific as the Newtown shooting was, county sheriffs around the country are refusing to let the president and his statist allies in Congress and around the country use that tragedy to hijack the Constitution and punish the nearly 100 million gun owners around the country for doing absolutely nothing wrong.

"From Florida to California, a growing number of the nation's sheriffs are standing up to gun control measures proposed by both the administration and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.," CNSNews.com reported Feb. 4.

Many of these local elected law enforcement officials have even written to Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in an attempt to voice concerns over what they see as an effort to circumvent the Second Amendment (notice that the president and his supporters are not pushing for reasonable, commonsense measures to regulate any part of the remaining Bill of Rights).

Saying 'yes' to the Constitution

Here is a partial rundown of those sheriffs, where they are located and what they are doing to protect their gun-owning constituents:

-- 30 of New Mexico's 33 county sheriffs have made the effort to remind state lawmakers they swore an oath to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution, and that includes the Second Amendment.

"We're not lawmakers, we're sheriffs," said Ken Christesen, sheriff of San Juan County and head of the New Mexico Sheriffs Association. "That's what we do, is enforce the law and defend the Constitution. We want to make sure that your rights as a citizen are protected."

"I'm watching what's going on very closely," added Torrance County Sheriff Heath White. "I want to reassure my citizens that I have their best interests in mind and I will do my job to the fullest extent."

-- In Utah, 28 of 29 sheriffs have sent Obama a letter stating plainly that they won't enforce any new gun laws that they view as unconstitutional. Only the sheriff of Salt Lake County, Jim Winder, opted out.

"We are prepared to trade our lives in defense of the Constitution of the United States," the letter declared. "[P]lease remember the Founders of this great nation created the Constitution, and its accompanying Bill of Rights, in an effort to protect citizens from all forms of tyrannical subjugation."

-- A number of sheriffs in Oregon have also stated unequivocally they won't comply with any new gun regulations that violate the Constitution.

"I have and will continue to uphold my Oath of Office including supporting the Second Amendment," Sheriff Craig Zanni wrote in a letter to Coos County citizens.

Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin, meanwhile, said he won't comply with any new federal gun laws he believes violate the Second Amendment guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms.

"Any rule, regulation, or executive order repugnant to the constitutional rights of the citizens of this County will be ignored by this office," Sheriff Gil Gilbertson wrote in a letter to Biden.

-- As Natural News has reported, sheriffs in California, Missouri, Kentucky, Florida, Texas and elsewhere have said they owe it to their citizens to uphold the Constitution's Second Amendment, without exception and without prejudice, despite what the federal government may mandate at some point in the future.

What will your county's sheriff do? As new gun control measures are being considered, now is the time to find out.

Sources:

http://www.foxnews.com

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s2900557.shtml?cat=513

http://www.utahsheriffs.org

http://www.abc4.com