With Republicans like these, who needs Democrats?

Two Republicans voted against the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement in Bedford County, Tennessee. I cannot believe I even wrote that sentence. Greg Vick, District 2 Commissioner, voted not to move the resolution from the table, and Bedford County’s mayor, Chad Graham decided that he wouldn’t use his power to break the tie in this matter. If you’d like to contact these two RINOs and ask them why they didn’t support the resolution, you can find their contact information by clicking here. To save you some time, we’re providing their contact information below:

How ironic is it that on Mayor Graham’s webpage, there’s a large graphic thanking everyone for their support during the Republican Primary for Bedford County Mayor, but when he has the chance to be the deciding vote on a matter that is important to actual conservatives, he stabs you directly in the back? Even worse, his vote wasn’t even going to break a tie that would make the county a Sanctuary County. All he had to do was break a tie to actually allow the resolution to be voted upon. It was even pointed out to him that he could vote to break the tie and he moved on to the next topic on the agenda as if he didn’t hear the suggestion. The resolution had been tabled back in November of 2019, and during the May 12, 2020 board meeting, they had a vote to remove it from the table so it could be actually voted on. This backstabber didn’t even allow the resolution to come to a vote. Check it out for yourself:

If you’d like to listen to the full board meeting, you can find it here:

As the Second Amendment Sanctuary Counties movement continues its march across the nation, every now and then we come across a county in which the attempted resolution sadly fails. However, rarely do we find this occurring as a result of Republican actions or inaction, as is the case in Bedford County, Tennessee.

Back in September, 2019, Brent Smith, Bedford County Commissioner, District 1 announced that he would be introducing a resolution that would make Bedford County a Sanctuary County for the 2nd Amendment. We found a video of this announcement which you can watch below:

In the minutes for the Bedford County Commissioners Meeting for Tuesday, November 12, 2019, you can see that Commissioner Brent Smith sponsored Resolution 20-12 titled, “A resolution supporting the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution”. As these resolutions go, it is actually somewhat watered down compared to resolutions we have seen out of other counties. For instance, we don’t see any reference in this resolution to county funds not being used in support of unconstitutional gun laws. I’d assume that there was an original draft that included such clauses, but they were removed due to a lack of support from the Board. We obtained a copy of that resolution (posted below), although the content of the resolution may be different from what was being considered during the May 12th meeting. 

Regardless of the content of the resolution, the fact remains that it was brought to the board in November, tabled until May and then when the vote came to remove it from the table so it could actually be voted on, 2 members of the Republican party did not support it. I strongly encourage the Republican voters in Bedford County, Tennessee to encourage these individuals to reconsider their stances on this matter. You may also want to consider voting in some conservatives that actually support your values in the future, because these two let Commissioner Smith and conservatives in general down by their unwillingness to support him in passing this resolution. They should be ashamed.

A RESOLUTION OF THE BEDFORD COUNTY COMMISSION DECLARING SUPPORT OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

WHEREAS, the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, protects the inalienable and individual right of the people to keep and bear arms; and

WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), affirmed an individual’s right to possess firearms, unconnected with service in a militia, for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home; and

WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court in McDonald v. Chicago, 561 U.S. 742 (2010), affirmed that the right of an individual to “keep and bear arms,” as protected under the Second Amendment, is incorporated by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment against the states; and

WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court in United States v. Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939) opined that firearms that are part of ordinary military equipment, or with use that could contribute to the common defense are protected by the Second Amendment; and

WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Bedford County Commission to declare its support of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and to protect the inalienable and individual right to keep and bear arms; and 

WHEREAS, the Bedford County Board of Commissioners each took an oath to support and defend the United States Constitution and the laws which are not deemed unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Bedford County Board of Commissioners hereby has, declared Bedford County to be a “Second Amendment Sanctuary County”.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THIS RESOLUTION TAKE EFFECT FROM AND AFTER PASSAGE, THE PUBLIC WELFARE REQUIRING IT.