Many sheriffs are saying that they will not enforce draconian gun control laws.

Various rifles for sale in Lynnwood, Washington. New York Times/AP.

Many sheriffs are saying that they will not enforce new gun control laws passed in primarily blue states. New York Times. Local sheriffs in Illinois, Oregon, New Mexico and other states say they will not enforce new gun laws that include ban on private sales, bans on 18-20 year olds buying long guns, red flag laws and waiting periods. One of the more active states in this movement is Washington State with more than a dozen sheriffs saying they won't go along with new laws. The conflict is another example of differences between rural and urban areas with the urban areas pushing the new gun control laws and imposing their will on rural areas. The sheriffs strategy is similar to pro-illegal immigration actions in cities. Instead of sanctuary cities for illegal aliens these sheriffs are turning their counties into sanctuary counties for gun rights. 

My Comment:

Very good news from these sheriffs. They are doing the right thing by fighting these unconstitutional and immoral laws. I generally think that the old quote from Marbury vs Madison is correct. “All laws which are repugnant to the Constitution are null and void.”. Since these laws are unconstitutional they cannot be enforced. 

With these gun laws being passed, it will take a long time for them to make it through the courts. As the laws get overturned things should return to normal but it will take a long time to make it all the way to the Supreme Court. The court has hinted that they will take up gun rights cases and it's unlikely that they would do so if they were unsure which way they are going to rule. With a relatively safe 5-4 majority, it's likely that many, if not all, will be overturned. 

And it's not like gun owners are going to comply with these laws in the first place. The laws passed in blue states already, like the SAFE act in New York, magazine bans in New Jersey and the national bump stock bans have essentially had zero compliance. Something like a ban on private sales is also likely to face very little support and is essentially unenforceable. And even if it were possible to do so, it's clear that many local governments will not do it. 

Things could get really dangerous if the state governments try to get tough on these sheriffs and some kind of standoff occurs. It's possible that it could lead to disorder, violence or even insurgency. People are serious about their gun rights and will stand up for them when threatened. I have said that gun rights is probably the biggest tinderbox in the country right now, with only the illegal removal of President Trump being close to having the same risk of having a civil war. It's very possible that any conflict between state and local governments could go federal very quickly.

Though I obviously don't like the New York Times, I do think that the article did have a great point about the rural/urban split. The biggest problem in the country right now that goes far beyond gun rights is the more urban Democratic people are trying to impose their wills on the rest of the country. Gun rights is the clearest example of this but far from the only one. 

I do wish there was some kind of solution for this. It's wrong that just because the big cities have most of the population that they can impose their will on everyone else. In a perfect world this wouldn't happen but even in not-so perfect world where these gun grabbers still exist, it would be nice if people could separate. 

I would hope that some of these states could separate into two or more states. For example, Illinios could split into Chicago and it's suburbs and the rest of the state. One can have their draconian gun laws and horrible crime rates while the rest of the state could be free. That wouldn't help the gun owners that still live in major cities but it would solve many of the countries problems.  

Thankfully, my state hasn't had this problem. Wisconsin's gun laws are pretty good, despite Governor Tony Evers anti-gun beliefs. With our state legislature still under control of the GOP, there is little chance of horrible gun laws being passed. However, if that were to change I do hope that our county sheriffs would be as brave and loyal to the constitution as these blue state sheriffs are.