Marshall County declares itself a Second Amendment Sanctuary County
MARSHALL COUNTY, Ind. — Marshall County is now considered a Second Amendment Sanctuary County after a unanimous County Commissioners vote on Monday, which passed and adopted a new resolution that reinforces the constitutional right for citizens to keep and bear arms.
The resolution means the county will not pass any law that would regulate firearms locally and that the Marshall County government, including the Sheriff’s office, will not cooperate with any outside attempts to regulate guns, like banning ammunition.
“Kosciusko County passed the same ordinance four years ago… it’s just us telling our citizens that we will stand with them in exercising their rights and it’s letting folks from outside of the county know as well that they can expect to see resistance if they were going to try to do something like that,” said Marshall County Commissioner, Jesse Bohannon.
Bohannon said he doesn’t see any eminent threats from the federal government, so why pass this resolution now? Bohannon said the proposal was brought to the County Commissioners by a resident activist four years ago, when Bohannon wasn’t in a commissioner’s seat, and it did not pass. That resident brought it back to the board this November.
“I think the important part is to realize that for many, many decades there have been people who have been pushing to nibble away at these rights, whether it’s an assault weapons ban or dealing with large capacity magazines and things like that. There’s always going to be forces out there who are trying to chip away at this, and our stance is not here in Marshall County,” said Bohannon.
The resolution does not impact federal background checks or give anyone rights to guns that wouldn’t already have them, like convicted felons.
“I would say the hope is that we never have to exercise any part of this, but what it does say… if someone were to come in from the outside and try to take our people’s guns, we’re gonna stand with our people and not with a tyrannical government,” explained Bohannon.
The Marshall County Democratic Party released a statement on Wednesday afternoon in response to the vote.
"This performative action has no real substance considering the current state laws on gun ownership. It’s time to end personal agendas and division in our local government," said Chair Megan Rogers. "As the chair of the Democratic Party in Marshall, we are listening to our neighbors. The things we hear are the need for more common sense coming from our elected leaders. They also want us to focus on affordability, safe roads, bipartisanship and building an even more welcoming community. Our mission is to help us become a destination for more jobs with breathable living wages, retaining and attracting more small businesses, while welcoming young adults, families and retirees. Please come to Marshall County to see what we are really about! Dining, unique shopping, scenic trails, parks, live music and other art venues. And so much more."