[ad_1]
At least 20 Washington State sheriffs – more than half of the entire United States – now publicly refuse to enforce the new gun laws. Several county governments have also passed local resolutions formally opposing law enforcement.
These measures could pose a serious threat to Washington's ambitious agenda for gun reform, and some militants say it is beginning to look like a "constitutionalist" revolt against gun control.
An increasing number of sheriffs, almost all in rural counties, have publicly stated that they would not do or believe that they would not do so to enforce the provisions of I1639, a voting measure voted on last November to restrict access and the use of assault. weapons.
Their positions – described in written statements, local media reports and Facebook posts – occupy various points on a spectrum of resistance.
Some, like Bob Songer, the sheriff of Klickitat County, say that they not only would not enforce the laws, but would consider preventing other agencies from doing so in their homes. counties.
Others, such as Sheriff Brad Thurman, in Cowlitz County, have cited a court challenge from the National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation as evidence that the laws may not be constitutional, and suggest delay the execution until the case is resolved.
Another group, including Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich of Spokane County, said the current law is so vague that there is "nothing to apply."
But all of these positions add to a refusal to apply I1639 in the form in which it was adopted by Washington voters.
Until now, only four county sheriffs have publicly pledged to enforce the laws.
Map of the sheriff's position on the Firearms Act WA
Meanwhile, several rural county governments – including Cowlitz counties, Franklin and Stevens – have now passed resolutions opposing the I1639 implementation. Gray's Harbor County is considering a similar resolution.
County commissioners who pass laws-opposed resolutions have electoral incentives in parts of the state where gun reform does not appeal to voters, but they have also been subject to intense scrutiny. lobbying efforts by activists of the second right-wing amendment.
Joey Gibson, head of the Portland-area Patriot Prayer group, who has participated in several violent protests in the city, and Matt Marshall, president of the right-wing three-party group, Washington, spoke at several county meetings for Urge commissioners and electors to adopt the so-called "Second Sanctuary of Amendment" ordinances.
In a video of a speech delivered in Island County, Gibson urged locals to "bring back power to the local level" by refusing the laws that he described as unconstitutional.
Gibson did not answer questions seeking to clarify his views on the constitution.
"County supremacy" and its related ideas came from far-right supremacist movements and whites, such as the Posse Comitatus, who argued that county sheriffs were the highest constitutional authority.
Researcher Spencer Sunshine wrote in a report for Political Research Associates that county supremacy ideas in the Pacific Northwest were "integrated with local governments and state governments, aided by a right-wing Republican movement" .
Groups such as the Washington State Firearms Coalition have championed the idea of a "cancellation", according to which lower levels of government can overturn unconstitutional laws passed at higher levels, even if these doctrines were rejected. repeatedly by the Supreme Court.
Resistance to law also reflects a deep rift between Washington residents of rural and urban areas.
Urban voters in western Cascades, in areas such as Seattle and its suburbs, passed with an overwhelming majority of votes on I1639, but were rejected in smaller rural counties, particularly in the east and south. south of the state.
Prior to the vote last year, the Washington State Sheriffs Association voiced public opposition to the law, as well as the Washington State Patrol Troopers Association, the Washington Fraternal Police College and the Washington Council of Police & Sheriffs.
The battle around guns is now closely tied to other right-wing political projects in Washington. On Friday, outside the State Capitol in Olympia, a joint rally will be held advocating the second right of change and the separation of eastern Washington into a separate state.
Matt Shea, Spokane Valley representative, will speak at the rally. Recently, Shea made a video in which he boasted about carrying a concealed firearm in the Washington State House.
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson reprimanded law enforcement officers in an open letter.
Mr. Ferguson stated that he was "deeply concerned that the law enforcement by the local police in the event of a background check of Initiative 1639 would jeopardize public safety in our state. ".
He emphasized his own defense of Washington's death sentence, despite his personal disagreement with the law, and wrote: "As public officers, our duty is to respect the wishes of the people we serve and to Apply and enforce the laws that they adopt ".
[ad_2]
Source link