Cover image: New Virginia Militia. (Facebook)
Richmond, VA –-(Ammoland.com)- Democrats in the Commonwealth of Virginia are threatening communities that declare themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries.
On Wednesday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said that localities could face “consequences” if law enforcement officers don’t enforce the new proposed gun laws.
“There’s not going to be retaliation. That’s not what I’m about. I’m about making Virginia safer,” Northam told reporters. “If we have constitutional laws on the books and law enforcement officers are not enforcing those laws on the books, then there are going to be consequences, but I’ll cross that bridge if and when we get to it.”
Since the November election, Democrats have been proposing sweeping new gun control legislation. The Democrats, backed by Bloomberg money, took control of the Virginia legislature. Most of the state remains pro-gun.
Over 80 counties that have been feeling the threat of the proposed gun control bills have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries. These counties have stated that they will not enforce laws that infringe on their citizen’s right to bear arms.
The overwhelming Second Amendment Sanctuary movement has shocked and angered Democrats in the Virginia Commonwealth because of the supporter’s belief in the sanctity of our Bill of Rights and the real nature and size of this organic grassroots movement by everyday citizens.
Congressman Gerry Connolly went even further than Gov. Northam. He pushed for prosecution of police officers that refuse to enforce the proposed unconstitutional laws.
“I would hope they either resign in good conscience, because they cannot uphold the law which they are sworn to uphold, or they’re prosecuted for failure to fulfill their oath,” Connolly told the Washington Examiner. “The law is the law. If that becomes the law, you don’t have a choice, not if you’re a sworn officer of the law.”
Democratic Virginia Rep. Donald McEachin proposed cutting off state funds to counties that pass Second Amendment sanctuary ordinance. He wants to do what is tantamount to blackmail to force these localities to enforce gun laws that violate their citizen’s rights.
“They certainly risk funding, because if the sheriff’s department is not going to enforce the law, they’re going to lose money. The counties’ attorneys’ offices are not going to have the money to prosecute because their prosecutions are going to go down,” McEachin said.
McEachin said that the Governor could call in the National Guard to enforce the new gun laws. He would turn Virginia into a police state to satisfy the anti-gun lobby’s thirst for gun-control.
“And ultimately, I’m not the governor, but the governor may have to nationalize the National Guard to enforce the law,” McEachin said. “That’s his call, because I don’t know how serious these counties are and how severe the violations of law will be. But that’s obviously an option he has.”
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring doubled down on enforcing the new gun-control measures. He played off counties passing Second Amendment sanctuary ordinances as a stunt by gun-rights groups. He implied that what these counties do is inconsequential and will have no bearing on the enforcement of new state gun laws.
“So, when Virginia passes these gun safety laws that they will be followed, they will be enforced,” Herring said.
Groups like Gun Owners of America think that these Democrats are hypocrites. They point to the Governor’s support of immigration sanctuaries. GOA Executive Vice President Erich Pratt thinks Northam is acting more like a dictator than a governor.
“Gun-grabbing Democrats like Gov. ‘Blackface’ Northam crow about how gun owners need to follow the law. But it is Northam and his minions who violate the ‘Rule of Law’ every day,” Pratt told AmmoLand. “Consider Northam’s support for bogus laws that would imprison Virginians for simply possessing common firearms that are still legal to own and possess in all 50 states. He is running roughshod over the rights protected in the Constitution.”
“And he despises the fact that county supervisors and sheriffs would be so impertinent as to declare their counties as Second Amendment sanctuaries. Meanwhile, he has vetoed legislation to dismantle immigration sanctuaries, thus protecting people who have broken the law to enter the country.”
“Northam can’t have it both ways. He’s either for sanctuary counties or he’s against them.”
“Is the Governor going to follow Rep. Gerry Connolly’s suggestion to arrest local sheriffs who don’t want to assist Northam in stealing private firearms without compensation and in violation of the Fifth Amendment? Or is he going to pursue Rep. Donald McEachin’s proposal to activate the National Guard to assist his ‘legal’ theft of firearms from local citizens?”
“Governor Northam’s declaration of war against gun owners is really an attack upon the God-given rights of law-abiding Virginians and upon the state and federal Constitution that he swore to uphold.”
“Gun Owners of America has been mobilizing its activists to urge their supervisors and sheriffs to resist the Governor’s dictatorial actions. And we do not relent until the despotic threat from Richmond has abated.”
A showdown is brewing in Virginia. It could shape not only the future of gun rights in the commonwealth but the future of gun rights nationwide. The citizens of Virginia are standing up to what they see as tyrannical moves by the Democrat controlled state government.
These citizens encourage law enforcement officials to uphold their oath to defend the constitution of the United States and of Virginia.
Virginia County Forms Militia in Response to Dems’ Gun Control Laws
One southwestern Virginia county is fiercely pushing back against proposed restrictions on gun rights in the state.
Earlier this month, the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors passed two resolutions aimed at opposing potential restrictions on gun possession and ownership.
One made Tazewell County a “Second Amendment sanctuary.” The other authorized funding for the formation of a well-regulated militia, WJHL reported.
Both resolutions were unanimously passed on Dec. 3 to loud cheers from a standing room-only crowd at the Board of Supervisors meeting, according to the Bristol Herald Courier.
“Our position is that Article I, Section 13, of the Constitution of Virginia reserves the right to ‘order’ militia to the localities,” County Administrator Eric Young, who helped draft the ordinances, told the Herald Courier. “Therefore, counties, not the state, determine what types of arms may be carried in their territory and by whom. So, we are ‘ordering’ the militia by making sure everyone can own a weapon.”
Southern District Supervisor Mike Hymes said people in Tazewell County “feel the need to have a gun to protect themselves and their property.”
“We live in an area where the nearest deputy might be 45 minutes away,” Hymes told the Herald Courier.
Tazewell County Sheriff Brian Hieatt told NBC affiliate WWVA the militia resolution “gives us some teeth to be able to act and do something if a law comes out dealing with firearms that we see is illegal.”
According to Tazewell County Board of Supervisors Chairman Travis Hackman, the ordinance is aimed at sending a message to the state’s legislators in Richmond.
Virginia Democrats, who in November seized control of both houses of the state’s legislature for the first time in more than two decades, made gun control laws a focus of their campaigns.
Democrats’ electoral triumph has sparked fears of increased restrictions on firearms possession, which the state’s pro-gun advocates say infringe on their Second Amendment rights.
Last week, Democrats announced they were amending a pending ban on “assault weapons” in the face of political pressure.
An early draft of the bill would have made it a felony to possess any firearm defined as an “assault weapon.” Gun rights groups were particularly concerned by the lack of an exception for those who already possess such weapons.
The ban is backed by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, whose spokeswoman, Alena Yarmosky, told the Virginia Mercury that “the governor’s assault weapons ban will include a grandfather clause for individuals who already own assault weapons, with the requirement they register their weapons before the end of a designated grace period.”
The move to confiscate guns faced immense grassroots opposition in the state, which has seen a majority of its counties declare themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries.”
MORE: Last Year, a Maryland Cop Killed a Man Who Wouldn’t Turn in His Gun Under ‘Red Flag’ Law
A portion of the funds allocated by the militia resolution will go to programs such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and weapons training courses, according to WJHL.
Coercion Code - "Dark Times are upon us" 