Despite the best efforts of freedom-loving, patriotic politicians in Columbia County, OR to make themselves exempt from local and Federal gun control measures, the state court has denied their case. Armed with the goal of preventing the enforcement of these laws, they simply wanted to follow in the footsteps of thousands of other counties across the US.
By trying to avoid the issuance of thousands of dollars in fines these laws generate in an average year, Columbia County had the potential to deprive the county of revenue for some time. In the State Court of Appeals ruling, the high judges had some real concerns about what it could do to the state. If allowed, this change would “create a ‘patchwork quilt’ of firearms laws in Oregon, where firearms regulations that applied in some counties would not apply in Columbia County.
As it stands, 1,200 sanctuary cities have been created through local governments across the United States. States like Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Illinois, and Florida all have proud sanctuary restrictions in place. As some find out the hard way, some of these measures are purely symbolic, while this one would have come with full legal force.
Columbia County is a rural county as it is. With a heavy logging industry in the area, it is one of the few conservative counties in an incredibly liberal state. When a case was filed in 2021 against the measure, they cited a provision in the state laws that allow for a thorough examination by a judge before the new law can be put into effect. With the original judge declining the case, it was appealed to the next level.
This ordinance had some strong support across the state as well as at home. The Oregon Firearms Federation gave a statement on February 15th about the measure. Given the decision passed down, it now “calls into question the legitimacy of the court and the likelihood of getting fair rulings from it.” Other groups have decried it as the liberal agenda trying to strip away their rights as free Americans.
The legal division of Everytown for Gun Safety was staunchly opposed to the measure. In their eyes, this would be a clear violation of the Constitution. Eric Tirschwell, executive director of Everytown Law called it “a win for public safety and the rule of law. Opponents of gun safety laws have every right to advocate for change at the ballot box, statehouse, or Congress, but claiming to nullify them at the local level is both unconstitutional and dangerous.”
State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is someone who has taken up suit against two other counties over their attempts to do the same thing and commended the verdict. “Today’s opinion by the Court of Appeals makes it clear that common sense requirements like safe storage and background checks apply throughout Oregon. Hopefully, other counties with similar measures on the books will see the writing on the wall.”
These kinds of rulings set a dangerous precedent for the rest of the state and the nation. If the liberals can destroy our cities and counties by becoming sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants, why can’t that be done to stop the tyranny of the Federal government and overreach of the state?
We need strong leadership and less likership here in the US. The liberals are stealing our rights by trying to act like they are just looking out for the best interests of the American people. Instead, they only continue to spoil and poison the minds and morals of our nation. By allowing them to strip a local government and its people from their rights to be a sanctuary for the second amendment, they have crossed a line.
It’s time for the American people to get back to what made us great, and rulings like this only continue to take us in the wrong direction.
