Fannin becomes a Second Amendment Sanctuary County
Board of Commissioners, News February 26, 2020
FANNIN COUNTY, Ga – After an hour of passionate discussion from citizens, Fannin’s board of commissioners unanimously passed the Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution on Feb. 25, 2020.
The resolution states, “No agent, employee, or official of Fannin County, Georgia or any corporation doing business with the county shall provide material support or participate in any way the implementation of federal acts, orders, rules, laws, or regulations in violation of the Second Amendment.”
All three commissioners passed the resolution.
It goes on to say that, “The Board of Commissioners of Fannin County will not authorize or appropriate funds, resources, employees, agencies, contractors, buildings, detention centers, or offices for the purpose of enforcing or assisting in the enforcement of any element of any acts, laws, orders, mandates, rules, or regulations that infringe on the right to keep and bear arms.”
The piece of legislation closes with a declaration that any federal laws, rules, orders, or regulations that violate the Second Amendment or Article I Section I, Paragraph VIII of the Constitution will be considered invalid and “specifically rejected in Fannin County.”
“It is symbolic because county law does not supersede state law or federal law, but it is a very strong message to send,” explained Chairman Stan Helton. “There’s a way to resist this. As a board of commissioners, if we don’t fund certain actions, that makes it pretty difficult for someone to come in and do any confiscation or put in an order to the sheriff’s office do to that. There’s a number of ways to do this to resist – ways to respect our laws, but not lose our Second Amendment rights.”
Upon passage, the three commissioners received a standing ovation from the crowd, the majority supported the resolution. Fannin makes the 22nd Georgia county to officially recognize its support of the Second Amendment.
Community Response
Over 20 residents of Fannin County voiced their opinion on the resolution, both for and against. This took place before Helton read the legislation to the audience.
Several voiced their opposition to red flag laws, which gives a judge the option to take guns away from an individual they deem a threat.
Post Two Glenn Patterson thanked everyone for turning out to express their views and affirmed his support of the resolution. He also brought up the polarization in the United States.
“There’s no middle ground, and I remember someone running for President said, ‘I will take your guns’ and that woke me up. It kind set off an alarm that it could happen,” explained Patterson. “It’s time to speak now and show the state and federal officials what we believe in because we’ve got a voice right now.”
“I’m always going to support the Second Amendment, no matter what,” said Post One Earl Johnson. “The problem is, talking about symbolism, without your Second Amendment, you’re dependent on someone…I love our sheriff’s office and city law enforcement agencies, but in my home, my work, my family, if someone tries to harm me or my family, I’m not going to depend on [law enforcement]. There’s no way. I’m not going to be dependent on our government…I would urge you not to be dependent on anyone in government.”
Georgia’s House of Representatives currently has a bill similar to the aforementioned red flag laws, HB 435, Georgia Red Flag Protective Order Act. It allows residents or law enforcement to seek a superior court judge’s opinion if someone is a threat to themselves or others. If any cause is found, then the judge can order the individual to surrender all firearms and ammunition for a given amount of time. This bill has a low chance of passing in the House.
However, HB 751, Anti-Red Flag – Second Amendment Conservation Act asserts that anyone, including law enforcement, that tries to enforce a red flag law at either the federal or state level could face felony charges and a $5,000 fine. This bill also has a low passage chance in the House.
Sheriff Dane Kirby said he supports the Second Amendment rights of the people, “that [doesn’t] mean necessarily taking laws handed down by our federal or state government, and in a cowboyish way, standing up and saying, I’m not going to enforce that law. There are things that elected officials, citizens, and everybody else can do, other than just refuse to enforce laws that you think might be unconstitutional.”
He promised to do everything he can to prevent any unconstitutional law from being enforced in Fannin, but it has to be done “the right way.”
McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley expressed his support of the Second Amendment and warned against government backstabbing of individual rights.
Additionally, Blue Ridge Police Chief Johnny Scearce stated that he “supports the Constitution – always have and always will.”
Noyes urged everyone to remember America is a democracy.
Citizen and business owner Barbara Noyes declared, “Criminals will still find a way to get weapons. Good abiding citizens have a right by the Second Amendment to always carry and bear arms to protect their families. Do not let a government become a dictatorship. We are a democracy, and we deserve to have guns to protect our families.”
A retired homicide and sex crimes investigator out of Miami, who now resides in Fannin, Jim Randazzo, spoke to the causation of crimes;
“We have laws against homicide, sex crimes, and drugs right now, yet it still occurs. What startling revelation are we going to have if we pass a law against guns that the bad guys are just going to go away? The bad guys are just going to stop? They don’t, they simply don’t,” he explained.
Randazzo made the point that criminals don’t abide by laws.
Randazzo also noted how many in Fannin carry guns responsibly, and the crime rates in the community are much lower than in Miami. Convicted felons aren’t going to stop committing crimes with the passage of a law.
Kathy Smyth spoke against becoming a Second Amendment Sanctuary County:
“It sets a dangerous precedent as it would represent a blatant disregard for laws that may be passed by our elected leaders. Our democracy only works when people have faith in it and those who have been elected to govern them. Laws that have been passed and enacted should be followed that is what the rule of law means. We have the right to protest and demonstrate. Local governments also have the right to dissent and lobby for change…I would hope that Fannin County would take a leadership role in our state and respect and enforce any law that is passed by the government….I would ask you to seriously consider the message that this decision sends to the youth of Fannin County. Will we be a county that respects our laws or one that encourages lawlessness?”
Candidates Speak
Several candidates for Commission Chairman and Post One were in attendance and had an opportunity to make their viewpoints known.
Post One Candidate Dixie Carter
First Post One Candidate Dixie Carter expressed her dissent with a resolution, “I feel these resolutions encourage lawlessness. If the state legislature passes a law, you’re going to tell your county deputy not to enforce that law? That doesn’t sound like following the Georgia Constitution. Also, I think these resolutions stir up fear and confusion in our community….Lastly, I think the sanctuary resolution is a marketing tool of the NRA, that’s where it started from, so I hope you guys don’t take the bait and pass this resolution and spend county dollars and time on this resolution.”
Debi Holcomb, who is also running for Post One, voiced support in Fannin becoming a Second Amendment Sanctuary County.
“I do know that gun crime is very prevalent in the United States as it is all over the world. My family is a victim of that. My son at the age of 23, holding nothing, but a broken cue stick, was gunned down by a 17-year-old with an illegal gun that he stole. He would have had it no matter what the laws were. If they can’t get it legally, the criminals can get the gun no matter what,” said Holcomb.
Post One candidate Debi Holcomb
Next, Chairman Candidate Vincent Davis addressed the room, “Our Second Amendment rights are to protect us from the tyranny of governments and for home protection… A lot of areas here, we don’t have a police department on every block…Crime happens in seconds, not minutes, so to defend our wives, children, families, it’s very important to have that Second Amendment right…10 counties in metro-Atlanta can control the rest of the state. It’s not to say that one day, we couldn’t have a Democrat governor, so that’s why it’s important to have this on the books.”
Chairman candidate Vincent Davis
Another Chairman Candidate Bill Simonds addressed the growing socialist movement in America, “If you look at what’s going on in our country, two guys now are socialists, basically. Venezuela, and Hitler, was a socialist, that’s what these folks are going to do is try to take our guns. If they get in and do it, then next they take over us. So, I’m all for the Second Amendment and think we need to do everything in our power to keep it.”
Larry Sosebee, who also has declared his intent to run for Chairman, spoke out, “All for Secondment Amendment rights, still am, still will be. Y’all brought this to the table tonight, you see what response you’ve got. I think it should be brought up on resolution as soon as possible. I’m all for it, and I think most people in the audience are all for it.”
Jamie Hensley, Chairman candidate, couldn’t attend the Feb. 25 meeting.
1 Comment
I am very happy to see the progressive movement Fannin County has made on the second amendment sanctuary, hopefully other county’s will follow and eventually 100% of the state of Georgia will follow,God Bless America.