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JOHNSON COUNTY, MO – A growing number of county sheriffs in Missouri, Texas, and other areas around the country have stated their determination to not enforce any new gun control proposals that violate the 2nd Amendment.
Sheriff Charles M. Heiss (R-Johnson County) recently sent a letter to the President signed by over a dozen Missouri sheriffs expressing their concerns about the legality of new gun control laws and actions being proposed.
The letter to President Obama reads in part:
I am writing to you to express my concern with the tone of your administration with respect to the Second Amendment Rights of American citizens. It appears to me and many Americans that there is a genuine desire on the part of your administration to restrict the Second Amendment rights of law abiding American citizens in the interest of curbing gun violence in our nation.
World history has shown us that when a society does not possess the ability to defend itself it becomes ripe for victimization by criminals, and ripe for government oppression. One need not look too far in today’s world to see glaring examples of defenseless people being brutalized by rogue regimes and dictator, .Syria, North Korea, and Mali are just a few examples of this type of oppression. Mexico is a stark reminder of a society overrun with criminal element in the form of Drug Cartels.
As the duly elected Sheriff of Johnson County, Missouri, it is my sworn duty to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and the State of Missouri against all enemies both foreign and domestic. This means I not only have the duty to protect my constituents from incidents of crime, but I also have a duty and responsibility to protect and preserve the individual rights and liberties afforded and guaranteed to every citizen by our constitutions. This, Mr. President is a duty I fully understand, appreciate, and will carry out with great vigor and conviction. I will most certainly urge my fellow Sheriffs in the State of Missouri and across this great nation to rise to the defense and aid of all Americans should the federal government attempt to enact any legislation, or executive order that impedes, erodes, or otherwise diminishes their constitutional right to keep and bear arms. I will use all means legal to meet this solemn and sacred responsibility.
Recently elected Sheriff Michael Dixon of Osage County is one of the Missouri sheriffs to have signed Heiss’ letter. Dixon said, “On the same day the President is taking his oath to uphold the Constitution, he continues to attack our 2nd Amendment rights. As Osage County Sheriff, I also took an oath to the Constitution, but unlike Obama, I intend to uphold mine.”
Dixon said his office will refuse to enforce any passed gun control proposals that violate the Constitution. He also pointed to the ineffectiveness of gun bans in controlling crime. “The President comes from Chicago, the city with the strictest gun laws and worst gun violence in the country. It has been proven time and time again that taking guns from law abiding citizens only emboldens thugs, thieves, and rapists, not stop them from committing crimes,” Dixon said.
Sherriff Terry Box of Collin County, Texas says that neither he nor his deputies will enforce unconstitutional gun laws enacted by what he calls “misguided politicians”. In a conversation with a local NBC affiliate Sherriff Box said, “I think anytime we have a national tragedy, lawmakers in Washington and sometimes in Austin try to, what I call, a knee-jerk reaction on trying to make the public feel safe and try to create new laws. There are plenty of laws on the book that are being enforced; I hope we can prevent these tragedies.”
Sheriffs in Oregon, California, and several other states have made similar statements.
