By a unanimous vote of the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors at a meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 5, Yavapai County officially became a Second Amendment sanctuary county.
“Be it further resolved that the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors will not authorize or appropriate government funds, resources, employees, agencies, contractors, buildings, detention centers or officers for the purpose of enforcing laws that unconstitutionally infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear arms,” the Yavapai County resolution reads.
Yavapai County is the third county in Arizona to declare itself a Second Amendment sanctuary, following Mohave County, which led the state by declaring itself one in November, and Apache County, which beat Yavapai County by one day, declaring itself a sanctuary on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
“The Second Amendment is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution, and your local initiative to protect this right in the face of attempted government overreach is an example of the Constitution working as the founders intended,” said Penny Pew, a representative of U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar [R-District 4], at the meeting in a statement from the congressman. “The right to own a gun is the right to defense of self, property and liberty. It is what ensures that someone can defend themselves from an attacker or from a government trying to abolish personal liberties.”
The movement for Second Amendment sanctuary counties has happened in numerous states, starting in Effingham County, Ill., in 2018, and recently seeing notable expansion in Virginia, which recently voted in Democratic Party control of both houses of the legislature as well as the governor’s mansion. This month, Virginia is passing new gun laws including requiring universal background checks for all gun purchases, requiring mandatory reporting for all gun losses or thefts, and a “red flag” law, which can remove guns by court order from the posses- sion of some individuals, such as domestic violence perpetrators or those with certain mental health issues.
In Arizona, the movement to make certain counties Second Amendment sanctuaries comes after comments in August by Gov. Doug Ducey expressing openness to a potential red flag law. Members of the public who attended Wednesday’s meeting expressed a fear of such laws.
“The fear of veterans seeking assistance for PTSD issues and losing their [Second Amendment] rights was overwhelming,” said Regina Pecoraro, a former VFW service officer for Northern Arizona, of her experience working with disabled veterans, arguing that red flag laws could cause real problems.
Others brought up fears of potential overreach by the government, fears of a rise in Marxism or socialism, and personal protection as reasons for fearing any limits in people’s ability to possess firearms.
Jiliann Morris spoke of her experience growing up in a small town where her father owned a store and the need to own a gun to protect it from robbery.
“If my dad wouldn’t have had a gun to protect his family or the people buying things from that store, we all would have been gone,” Morris said. “There wouldn’t have been anything because it would have taken minutes for the cops to be able to get there, because it takes at least nine and a half minutes for the cops to be able to show up to do something. Without automatic defense we’re gone.”
While the overwhelming majority of those who spoke up at the meeting advocated in favor of the ordinance, a few argued against it.
“I believe that this resolution to make Yavapai County a gun sanctuary is unnecessary and dangerous,” said Nancy Martin, a teacher from Prescott. “Common sense gun control laws do not infringe on Second Amendment rights, and they can help prevent needless deaths. These include limiting the number of bullets in a magazine, increasing the purchase age to 21, same as the age for buying alcohol, universal background checks, including those at gun shows and closing the loopholes, having a waiting period to get a gun, having a safety lock to prevent accidental discharge, banning bump stocks and cautiously approaching red flag laws.
“I fully support a person’s right to bear firearms and this is especially important for those living in rural areas such as Yavapai County. I believe that responsible armed citizens contribute to our safety. ‘Responsible’ being the key word.
“Common sense gun regulation could prevent gun violence without infringing on Second Amendment rights. Protecting common sense gun laws rather than shunning them might prevent a tragedy at Prescott High School like we’ve seen at Parkland.”
Seventeen people were killed and 17 injured at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14, 2018.
“Make no mistake, a mass shooting could occur here,” Martin said. “Therefore, I do not support this resolution and I urge you to oppose it.”
