Accomack Stops Short of Second Amendment Sanctuary Status

Board of Supervisors passes resolution supporting Second Amendment in lieu of sanctuary status.

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Second Amendment supporters gather outside the Accomack County Administration Building in Accomac on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019.
Accomack officials on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a resolution in support of gun rights — but the resolution did not name the county as a Second Amendment sanctuary, as some speakers at a meeting requested.
The vote came after a two-hour meeting Wednesday devoted to hearing comments from 20 speakers — and in front of a capacity crowd of some three dozen inside the board chambers, in addition to another 160-plus gun rights supporters gathered in the hallway and outside the county administration building — many of whom listened to the proceedings via livestream on the county website.
The Accomack County Board of Supervisors called a special meeting earlier Wednesday to conduct other business on its agenda — reserving the 5 p.m. timeslot for comment on the Second Amendment issue.
A wave of local governments in Virginia have passed resolutions addressing Second Amendment rights since the November election, when Democrats won majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly, with the expectation of gun control legislation being introduced in the upcoming session.
Among legislation being introduced is SB16, which would expand the definition of an assault firearm and prohibit sale, transport, or possession of certain assault weapons, as well as prohibiting a person from carrying a shotgun with a magazine that holds more than seven rounds in a public place, among other provisions.
Most speakers Wednesday supported the resolution, and some even asked for a stronger statement from the board — including a sanctuary designation — citing, among other factors, the need to have weapons for protection given the rural nature of the county and the time it can take for police to get to a crime scene.
Chris Hamblin of Parksley presented a petition signed by more than 3,500 people, asking the board to adopt a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution.
Others, including hunters and gun safety instructors, said they fear they will be labeled as criminals under proposed legislation.
“It’s a good possibility I could be a felon,” said Tommy Hines, who teaches gun safety to youth between ages 9 and 18.
“These laws are tyrannical,” said Kelly Ford of Horntown, a member of a sportsman’s club in Oak Hall. Ford presented a paper copy of an online petition he started, signed by 1,975, including 527 Accomack County residents.
Yvonne Pennell, a concealed carry permit holder and 18-year volunteer hunter education instructor for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, said the gun control agenda is funded by out-of-state entities and the proposed legislation will not reduce criminal activity.
Weapons, including assault weapons, are needed for self-defense, she said.
“How is someone like myself supposed to protect myself against a violent assault?” Pennell said, noting law enforcement response is sometimes “not timely enough to stop a deadly attack before its conclusion.”
Ben Loyola of Virginia Beach, a Republican candidate for the House 2nd District seat held by Elaine Luria, also spoke, noting he was born in Cuba, where he said dictator Fidel Castro “took over Cuba by disarming the people.”
Still, a few speakers urged the board to consider both sides of the issue.
Kelvin Pettit of Parksley said the board’s position “should be neutral and without bias.”
“Hear our voice in totality, not just the left or the right,” he said.
Chairman Donald L. Hart Jr. had said at the meeting’s start that those in the audience “haven’t got one adversary on this board.”
Sarah Nock of Accomac said that “rights come with responsibilities,” adding that the right to bear arms “contains the responsibility to do so in a safe manner.”
She compared proposed gun control legislation, such as background checks and red flag laws, to speed limits imposed by law to protect safety on the roads.
During the board’s discussion following the public comment period, Supervisor Reneta Major said her constituents in Electoral District 9 were not among the speakers, but that a number had spoken to her beforehand about the resolution.
“There has to be some type of compromise — all this gun violence is ridiculous,” she said, noting she herself had been a victim.
“I live here in Accomack County and I see gun violence. I know of young men who have been victims — in fact, I’ve been a victim,” she said.
Major spoke about a local minister who is starting a movement called “Stop the Violence,” after a recent homicide in Onancock and other local gun violence incidents.
“He’s garnering a lot of support,” Major said, noting that “the silent majority” wants some type of gun control.
“I want their voice to be heard, as well,” she said.
The resolution as written was a compromise, according to Hart, who said, “We wanted to have a resolution that all nine could vote for.”
Hart said Del. Rob Bloxom, a Republican, and Sen. Lynwood Lewis, a Democrat, both said at a recent Eggs and Issues event that “they are not going to do anything radical” concerning gun legislation.
Hart and others, including Supervisor Harrison Phillips III, urged Accomack residents to make their wishes about gun control legislation known to their representatives in the General Assembly.
Sheriff Todd Godwin and Accomack Commonwealth’s Attorney Spencer Morgan both wrote letters supporting the resolution.
The Virginia Citizens Defense League, a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing Second Amendment rights, lists 101 Virginia localities, including Northampton County, as being Second Amendment sanctuary localities.
According to the league, 73 of Virginia’s 95 counties had passed Second Amendment Sanctuary resolutions as of Dec. 17, while eight, including Northampton, had passed resolutions supporting the Constitution, but not naming localities as sanctuaries.
The Northampton County Board of Supervisors earlier this month passed a resolution supporting gun rights, but which does not establish the county as a Second Amendment sanctuary — similar to Accomack’s.
Accomack’s resolution affirms the board of supervisors’ support for the Second Amendment and “sends a clear message to our legislators and all elected officials that we respect our citizens’ rights under the Second Amendment.”
The resolution also recognizes that “certain legislative initiatives are expected to be introduced in the 2020 General Assembly (and) requests that as part of our legislative agenda, our State Delegate and State Senator diligently review and oppose any such legislation that may unconstitutionally restrict the 2nd Amendment rights of our county’s citizens.”
Two Virginia counties, Loudon and Albemarle, have denied passage of Second Amendment resolutions and action was pending in 10 others, including Accomack, as of Dec. 17.
A spokeswoman for Attorney General Mark Herring said Wednesday that the resolutions being passed by Virginia localities “appear to be nothing more than symbolic since no new gun laws have passed or even been considered yet.”
“It’s not clear what a second amendment sanctuary is, what its proponents are hoping to accomplish, or what authority they think they have to pre-emptively opt-out of gun safety laws, but if the Virginia Citizens Defense League is circulating it you can bet it’s a bad idea,” wrote Charlotte P. L. Gomer, press secretary for the Office of the Attorney General in an email to the Post.
“When the General Assembly passes new gun safety laws, as Virginia voters demanded just a few weeks ago, we expect that everyone will follow the law and keep their citizens safe,” Gomer said.
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