House Republicans are sponsoring a resolution that would declare Michigan a “Second Amendment sanctuary state.”
The resolution, H.R. 219, was authored by Rep. Gary Eisen (R-St. Clair Township) and now has 14 Republican co-sponsors.
The resolution would “declare Michigan a Second Amendment sanctuary state and fully affirm its support of the rights ensured and protected by the constitutions of the United States and Michigan, including the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.”
“The House is concerned that legislation pending in the Michigan Legislature and U.S. Congress, if passed, could infringe upon the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment,” states the proposal. “Upholding the oath of office in Michigan requires public servants to refuse to participate in the enforcement of unconstitutional restrictions on the Second Amendment and attempt to defend individuals from unlawful enforcement of such restrictions.”
The resolution urges the U.S. Congress and state and federal agencies to “vigilantly preserve and protect those rights by rejecting any provision, law, or regulation that may infringe, have the tendency to infringe, or place any additional burdens on the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.”
Eisen, a firearms instructor, introduced a second resolution to “reaffirm the right of Michigan residents to keep and bear arms.”
“The Michigan Legislature will not pass laws that would infringe upon the ability of Michigan residents to own and keep firearms,” states House Resolution 227. “The Michigan Legislature will ensure that legislation in violation of our constitutional right to bear arms will not be imposed upon the citizens of Michigan by either the federal government or itself.”
At least eight counties across the state have already passed resolutions declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries and a handful of other counties are considering similar proposals. Across the country, nearly 400 counties have taken action to make themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries, a movement that was born out of the Virginia Legislature’s passage of a red-flag gun law.
Roseau County in Minnesota became the state’s first Second Amendment sanctuary county earlier this week.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
