By: David Tripp
9 Dec 2019
Verification Citation/Source: King and Queen County Board of Supervisors
Resolution date passed: 9 Dec 2019
Signers: S.C. ALSOP, J.L. SIMPKINS, J.M. BURNS, D.H. MORRIS, R.F. BAILEY
Refusals: None
A RESOLUTION DECLARING KING AND QUEEN COUNTY A SECOND AMENDMENT SANCTUARY COUNTY WHEREAS,
the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”; and
WHEREAS, Article I, § 13 of the Virginia Constitution reads: “A well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state, therefore, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”; and
WHEREAS, Article I, § 1 of the Virginia Constitution reads: “That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into the state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety”; and
WHEREAS, Article 1, § 2 of the Virginia Constitution reads: “That all power is vested in, and consequently to be derived from, the people, that magistrates are their trustees and servants, and at all times amenable to them”; and
WHEREAS there is concern that unconstitutional or unlawful legislation, which infringes upon the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms under the Constitutions of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States, may be introduced in the legislative sessions of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia and/or the United States Congress; and
WHEREAS, the Board is concerned that passage of these bills, imposing unnecessary burdens on law-abiding citizens and inviting further regulations and burdens, and if to be enforced by local officials, will impose on the County unfunded mandates, whether as a formal mandate or as a practical requirement of enforcing the law; and
WHEREAS, the Board has no legislative, regulatory, or enforcement authority related to “the purchase, possession, transfer, ownership, carrying, storage or transporting of firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof,” as provided by Section 15.2-915 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, and has no authority over the independent execution of the duties of the constitutional officers involved in law enforcement.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF KING AND QUEEN COUNTY, VIRGINIA, that:
1. King and Queen County is hereby declared a Second Amendment Sanctuary County, wherein the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms for the purposes of lawful self-defense, community defense, and hunting, as protected by the United States and Virginia Constitutions, is part of the fabric of the community since before the foundation of the Republic, and is and must be respected, celebrated, and upheld; and
2. King and Queen County urges the General Assembly, the United States Congress, and other agencies of State and Federal government not to adopt, accept, or enact 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 bear arms; and
3. King and Queen County expresses its commitment to oppose unconstitutional and unlawful legislation that infringes upon the right of its citizens to keep and bear arms and in particular, opposes any provision, law, or regulation that may impose additional regulatory burdens on its citizens or result in mandates, whether mandatory or practical, to expend additional local public funds on enforcement or administration of such laws; and
4. The County Administrator is directed to cause true copies of this resolution to be forwarded to the County’s representatives in the General Assembly and the United States Congress and the Governor of Virginia.
Chairman Burns thanked Mr. Bailey for his reading of the resolution. He asked that all citizens in attendance that agree with or support this resolution to please stand. The majority of those present stood. He further asked for anyone who oppose or do not support the resolution to please stand. No one stood. A motion was made by Mr. Bailey and seconded by Ms. Morris to adopted the resolution as presented. Chairman Burns called for a roll call vote which was as follows:
AYES: S.C. ALSOP, J.L. SIMPKINS, J.M. BURNS, D.H. MORRIS, R.F. BAILEY NAYS: NONE
