The Brown County board. Green Bay Press Gazette/USA Today.
A 2nd Amendment sanctuary measure failed in Wisconsin's Brown County by one vote. Green Bay Press Gazette. Tensions were high in the meeting as verbal arguments broke out during the 4 hour hearing. Supporters said the measure would send a clear message to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers who has expressed interest in Red Flag laws, however opponents argued that the measure would do nothing. Opponents also said that the board lacked the authority to not follow any laws passed by the state. Other efforts to put the measure out as a referendum also failed.
However, another community in Wisconsin has approved a 2nd Amendment sanctuary measure. Wausau Daily Herald. The City of Merrill, a small city in Northern Wisconsin, approved the measure on a 6-2 vote. The measure said that local citizens disagree support the right to keep and bear arms and are benefiting from shootings sports. With the resolution passing, Merrill joins Florence County, also in Northern Wisconsin, in being Wisconsin 2nd Amendment sanctuaries.
My Comment:
I'm furious with Brown County right now. I would have attended this meeting but my work schedule would not allow it. If I had I would have let my elected officials have a piece of my mind. I had thought about e-mailing my local representative but I didn't trust myself to not say something stupid.
To lose this vote by one vote is heartbreaking. The two officials in my city voted against this measure and one of them is a lame duck guy that will be out in 2020. I don't know if there was anything I or the local gun rights community could have done to prevent this but it still is a bitter pill to swallow. I had thought this measure would have passed easily but I guess not.
However, I do have to say that I am glad that Merrill did the right thing. I did think it was funny that the Council president there was outvoted pretty emphatically. I've never been the Merrill myself but if I ever find myself in the area I might spend some of my hard earned money there just because of this vote. I'm very proud of my Northern Wisconsin brothers that are fighting the good fight here, and I just wish that my community could have gotten with the program.
Still, I do think that the measures here in Wisconsin are mostly symbolic in nature. Governor Tony Evers is a threat but he doesn't have the support in the legislature to pass any gun control laws. Wisconsin has some of the best gun laws in the Midwest (and even the nation) and it is good to see people working to make sure that remains the case as all it would take is one bad election, like the 2018 midterms were, for that to change.
And I also think that there is a measure of solidarity here with other 2nd Amendment communities. Though our rights are reasonably save here in Wisconsin, that is not the case in other states and communities across the nation. As you can see from the below map, there are a lot of communities that are standing up to these awful laws. Just because Wisconsin has it easy does not mean that we shouldn't be joining the people in other states that aren't so lucky in sending a clear message to the people that would have us disarmed and helpless.
Wikipedia user Terrorist69
The question for the people in Brown County is what do we do now? I don't think this fight is over and with one of the no-votes retiring this year it's very possible that we could flip this vote if we get someone better in there. Plus there are always petitions and other actions that can help convince people to do the right thing.
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