El Paso County considering 2nd Amendment Sanctuary resolution
The long list of counties becoming Second Amendment Sanctuaries is growing, and now El Paso is considering a similar measure.
On Tuesday night, Republican State Representative Dave Williams asked El Paso County Commissioners to consider the resolution.
Williams says, “It’s time for our commissioners and our sheriff to uphold their oaths of honor and their oaths of office and ensure the rights of our Second Amendment.”
What he didn’t know is they’ve already started drafting their own.
Longinos Gonzalez, Jr. is in Washington D.C. with the four other commissioners this week for a nationwide conference. He says they’ve been talking about a resolution that would take a stand to those who support the Red Flag Bill.
Gonzalez says they are “getting feedback from other county commissioners in Colorado who have been looking at options as well to fight back against this red flag bill, including commissioners who have recently passed resolutions.”
The bill passed through the House on Monday and is now headed for the Senate.
A supporter of the bill is Democrat State Representative Marc Snyder. He says, “I have some issues with this whole sanctuary county issue. Last time I checked, elected officials and sheriffs and others took the same oath of office we did, to uphold the constitution.”
So far, nine counties including Fremont, Custer, Montezuma, Otero, Weld, Moffat, Sedgwick, Kiowa, and Rio Blanco have passed resolutions that make them a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary County.
Last week, Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper said the resolution is purely symbolic, but if the bill passes, he won’t make his deputies enforce it.
Cooper said, “The deputies will take their lead from me, their direction will come from me, so it’s my stance that would be important there.”
Gonzalez, Jr. says the board of commissioners has been speaking with El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder.
He’s previously expressed his distaste for the bill, but whether he supports a sanctuary status is unclear.
The Teller County Board of Commissioners is hearing a similar resolution on Thursday morning.
