At the Lake County Courthouse in Tavares, Florida on Tuesday, county commissioners took a united stand against the infringement of the right to keep and bear arms. Though Commission Chairwoman Leslie Campione was not in attendance, two emails by her were read aloud in which she supported the measure.
Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell enthusiastically supported the resolution and promised to uphold it, defending the county from federal or state attempts to undermine the people's rights to defend themselves. He wrote a letter to the commissioners in support of the move which stated,
“Thank you for your continued efforts to protect our rights afforded by the Florida Constitution and the Constitution of the United States of America.”
The resolution was proposed by Commissioner Josh Blake, who spoke at the meeting, commenting that Second Amendment Sanctuaries have been popping up all over the country and that he wanted Lake County to become the first one in Florida. He mentioned the Parkland shooting and noted that some of them have even used the gun control efforts that came in the wake of the shooting to justify passing such a resolution.
He also brought up the specter of mandatory gun buyback programs pushed by Democrat presidential candidates such as U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris.
“Many Americans have been absolutely shocked to hear recent pronouncements by prominent national candidates who are vying for the presidency of the United States threatening and even outright calling for national gun bans on some of the most popular and commonly owned rifles in this country."
“This draws a line in the sand; it doesn’t mince words. And I hope it sends a message to what can best be described as the authoritarian control freaks who... see it as their job to forcibly disarm their fellow citizens. And with all due respect, that simply won’t be happening in Lake County.”
“There have been very terrible crimes that have been committed by very terrible people. Unfortunately one of the national reactions to these criminal acts has been to penalize the law-abiding citizens who make up the vast majority of gun owners in the county.”
The full resolution is below.
RESOLUTION 2019-___
A RESOLUTION OF THE LAKE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DECLARING LAKE COUNTY A SECOND AMENDMENT SANCTUARY.
WHEREAS, the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of our nation; and
WHEREAS, the Second Amendment to the Constitution states, “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, the U.S. Supreme Court found in Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), that, “where rights secured by the Constitution are involved, there can be no rule making or legislation which would abrogate them;” and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Supreme Court in the District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), affirmed that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is not connected in any way to service in a militia; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939), stated that firearms that are part of ordinary military equipment with use that could contribute to the common defense are protected by the Second Amendment; and
WHEREAS, the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution states, “no State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws;” and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Supreme Court in McDonald v. City of Chicago, 561 U.S. 742 (2010), affirmed that a person’s Second Amendment right to “keep and bear arms” is further secured by the “due process” and the “privileges and immunities” clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. This decision also protects rights closely related to the Second Amendment, namely the right to manufacture, transfer, purchase, and sell firearms, accessories, and ammunition; and
WHEREAS, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution states, “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the People;” and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Supreme Court found in Printz v. United States, 521 U.S. 898 (1997), that the Federal government cannot compel law enforcement officers of the States to enforce federal laws as it would increase the power of the Federal government far beyond that which the Constitution intended; and
WHEREAS, Article I, Section 8, of the Florida Constitution states that, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and of the lawful authority of the state shall not be infringed, except that the manner of bearing arms may be regulated by law;” and
WHEREAS, due to dual sovereignty of the U.S. Constitution, the Federal government has no authority to enforce state laws and States cannot be compelled to enforce Federal laws; and
WHEREAS, the last protectors of the U.S. Constitution are the County Sheriffs and “we the people of the United States of America” and our ability to fulfill that role successfully rests on our Second Amendment rights.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of Lake County, Florida, as follows:
Section 1. The above recitals are true and correct and incorporated in this Resolution.
Section 2. The Lake County Board of County Commissioners hereby declares Lake County as a Second Amendment Sanctuary in order to preserve for the People of, on, and in Lake County, their rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America.
Section 3 We the People of Lake County, Florida, through this resolution hereby declare our rights, our freedom and our liberty as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America.
Section 4. A copy of this Resolution shall be spread upon the Minutes of this meeting.
Section 5. This Resolution shall become effective upon adoption.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of Lake County, Florida in regular session this _____ day of ___________, 2019.
ATTEST:
_________________________
Gary J. Cooney,
Board of County Commissioners
of Lake County, FloridaBOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF LAKE COUNTY, FLORIDA____________________________
Clerk Leslie Campione, ChairmanThis ___ day of __________, 2019.
Approved as to form and legality:
_____________________________
Melanie Marsh, County Attorney
