Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Lunenburg County has joined the growing list of counties in Virginia to declare themselves a sanctuary county for the Second Amendment to the Constitution. The Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors (BOS) unanimously voted in favor of the resolution during its regularly scheduled meeting held Thursday, Dec. 12. The vote was 6 in favor, none opposed.

The crowd of people overflowed into the hallway, as residents turned out in record numbers to show their support for their Second Amendment right. Over two hundred people crowded the courtroom. Patrick Newman who has lived in Lunenburg County for 12 years and to date never attended a BOS meeting said, “I fought in the Vietnam War to defend my country and my constitution, I want to continue to have the right to defend myself and my country.”

Five residents signed up and were allowed to speak for three minutes each about the resolution. Among the speakers was Del. Tommy Wright, Alissa Baldwin and Trudy Berry. Wright commented, “I am here to support the residents of Lunenburg County in their desire to protect their Second Amendment rights.”

Baldwin, who is a history teacher said, “History has not looked kindly on those who suffered the misfortune of losing their gun rights. Today, they want to take our guns. Tomorrow, it’s our right to work, our due process, our privacy rights, our parental rights, even our inalienable right to life. If you trust the government, you must have slept through or failed your government class.”

Trudy Berry who opposed the resolution as written, reiterated her comments, “On proposed gun laws” as published on the opinion page in The Dispatch, Dec. 11. Berry said, “Rather than encourage the passing of these resolutions, which are contrary to a civilized society, Senator Ruff should introduce a grandfather clause to exempt current owners and vote in favor of these gun safety laws to protect his constituents.”

After the vote was approved there was applause from the audience. The resolution in part states “Lunenburg 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, sport shooting, game hunting, and gun collecting as protected by the United States and Virginia Constitutions, is part of the fabric of the community since before the founding of the Republic, and is and must be respected, celebrated and upheld, and, … ” The full preamble and resolution is available online at www.KVDispatch.com.

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the Second Amendment of 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 1, Section 13, of the Constitution of Virginia provides “that 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; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided as dangerous to liberty; and

that in all cases the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil

power;” and,

WHEREAS, certain legislation introduced in the 2019 session of the Virginia General

Assembly, and certain legislation introduced in the current session of the United States Congress

could have the effect of infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms, as

guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution; and,

WHEREAS, the current Governor of Virginia has stated that he intends to endorse and

pass into law legislation that is unconstitutional as it pertains to the rights enumerated in the US &

Virginia Constitution.

WHEREAS, the Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors is concerned about the passage

of any bill containing language which could be interpreted as infringing the rights of the citizens

of Lunenburg County to keep and bear Arms or could begin a slippery slope of restrictions on

the Second Amendment rights of the citizens of Lunenburg County, and,

WHEREAS, the Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors wishes to express its deep

commitment to the rights of all citizens of Lunenburg County to keep and bear Arms; and,

WHEREAS, the Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors wishes to express opposition to

any law that would unconstitutionally restrict the rights under the Second Amendment of the

citizens of Lunenburg County to bear arms; and,

WHEREAS, the Board wishes to express its intent to stand as a Sanctuary County for

Second Amendment rights and to oppose, within the limits of the Constitution and the laws of the

United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia, any efforts to unconstitutionally restrict such

rights, and to use such legal means at its disposal to protect the rights of the citizens of Lunenburg

County, Virginia, to keep and bear arms, including through legal action, petition for redress of

grievances, and not enforcing any law ruled unconstitutional.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF

LUNENBURG COUNTY, VIRGINIA, that:

1. Lunenburg 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, sport shooting, game hunting, and gun

collecting as protected by the United States and Virginia Constitutions, is part of the

fabric of the community since before the founding of the Republic, and is and must be

respected, celebrated, and upheld; and,

2. Lunenburg 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 rights of law abiding citizens to bear arms; and

3. Lunenburg County expresses its intent to continue to take lawful actions to protect and

support the rights of its citizens to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the United

States and Virginia Constitutions, and not to aid in unconstitutional efforts to restrict

these rights; and,

4. Lunenburg County opposes, in particular, 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 public funds on enforcement or

administration of such laws, or to require the constitutional officers of the locality to

do so; and,

5. 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 to the Governor of Virginia; and,

6. This resolution is effective upon adoption.

Adopted this 12th day of December, 2019.

BY:

Charles R. Slayton, Chairman

Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors