For the last several months, the Vermilion County Board has been hearing pleas from residents wanting Vermilion County to become the 67th in Illinois to declare itself a Second Amendment Sanctuary County. This would mean the local authorities would be allowed to set their own laws when it comes to gun control, despite what state or federal gun control laws might be.
During this past Thursday night’s Executive and Legislative Committee meeting, Pastor Philip Jackson said what the county is proposing for consideration leaves out nine significant points that the supporters want included. Jackson says one of them involves the authority of the Sheriff.
AUDIO: With clarifying how the sheriff works, and is enpowered. So that no one believes the sheriff is forced to give up his authority as the sheriff. The sheriff will have full decisional capacity in determining whether he supports what the federal agents would or would not do in a particular given instance.
Ten years ago, the Vermilion County Board passed a resolution concerning the right to bear arms, but sanctuary supporters say it was too weak. In fact, County Board member Jerry Hawker says what’s being proposed now reminds him of the resolution from 2011.
AUDIO: Very comparable. It’s one of those kind of things where the resolution that was proposed tonight says that the county supports the second amendment, and if there was a law passed that infringed upon those, that they would oppose it. The Missouri law and the other 66 counties have passed something where there’s enforcement provisions, and says the citizens have the right to keep and bear arms. It needs to specifically be done that way.
The current proposal was tabled during Thursday night’s committee meeting. Hawker says, he plans to propose an amendment to it during the full Vermilion County Board meeting this coming Tuesday evening.
