OPINION:
Several counties in Illinois have taken gun control matters into their own hands and told the state, in essence, sorry — you’re not stripping us of our Second Amendment rights.
And thus the showdown begins. But honestly, the state has no constitutional leg in this fight.
The state, for those who’ve not yet heard, has been engaged in a leftist-pushed campaign to bypass the Constitution and impose even more gun control on the law-abiding citizenry. The Democrats want a Chicago, statewide.
Some of their pressed-for crackdowns?
Increases in the minimum age for gun purchases. A complete ban on bump stocks. More punishments for violators. You know, the typical yada yada left-leaners manual of anti-gun provisions. The ones that don’t reduced crime but make the politicians feel good about themselves — all the while stripping control from the little people.
Anyhow, some counties in Illinois are saying enough’s enough — we’re declaring ourselves sanctuaries for gun owners.
“It’s a buzzword,” said David Campbell, the vice chairman of the Effingham County Board, in Fox News. “[It’s a] word that really gets attention. With all these sanctuary cities, we just decided to turn it around to protect our Second Amendment rights.”
Effingham is one of a handful of counties fighting against the state’s anti-gun stance.
The state, led by Democrats, of course does not see it that way. And their message to the sanctuary counties is: Don’t do it. That’s code for, ’we’ll go to court, if we have to.’
So again — let the showdown begin.
The state may cry that its laws take precedence over local laws.
But fact is, the Constitution takes precedence over state laws. The Second Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights, the section of the Constitution that speaks to individual rights, not government authorities. The state will have a high hill to climb to overcome what’s been penned for the people pretty much since the dawn of America’s government.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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