Firearms Owners Against Crime

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Pennsylvania Lawmakers Want To Become Sanctuary State :: 05/13/2021

A number of states have adopted legislation specifically protecting the Second Amendment from Joe Biden’s gun control agenda this year. Most such measures are basically saying they won’t help the feds enforce unconstitutional gun control laws, which is well within the state’s authority. Federal law enforcement relies heavily on local support. Without that, there’s only so much the ATF boys could do.

Now, some lawmakers in Pennsylvania want to make their state a sanctuary for gun rights.

A bill unveiled on Wednesday would effectively make Pennsylvania a Second Amendment sanctuary state by barring state officials from cooperating with any federal effort to curtail gun rights.

Senate Bill 624 was authored by state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, who was among those at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection as Congress was voting to certify the Electoral College vote declaring Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Mastriano said that the legislation was inspired by Biden’s comment last month that “no amendment to the Constitution is absolute,” as well as by efforts by the Biden administration to curtail gun rights.

“For these words to be uttered by the commander-in-chief of the free world is very disconcerting,” Mastriano said, adding: “Dangerous times indeed.”

Eleven other states have passed laws declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries – most of them just this year.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed the Second Amendment Preservation and Anti-Federal Commandeering Act on April 27. Arkansas, Arizona, Montana, North Dakota and Oklahoma passed similar laws in April, as well. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, signed a proclamation declaring that state a Second Amendment sanctuary.

Prior to Biden’s election, only Alaska, Idaho, Kansas and Wyoming had such a law in place. However, more than a thousand local municipalities and counties across the country have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries, according to the Gun Owners of America.

It’s a beautiful sight, to be sure.

Too bad it’s not going to happen.

As the above-linked story notes, Gov. Tom Wolf–an anti-gun Democrat–is likely to veto the bill. That means the legislature would need to override his veto. I just don’t see them having the votes for it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with it being introduced and trying to force Wolf’s hand on the matter, but this is never getting on the books as things currently stand in the state.

Then again, that might be part of the thinking here.

Pennsylvania has a rich gun culture. It’s possible that Wolf won his election with the help of many gun owners who trusted the legislature to keep him in check. By forcing him to make anti-gun actions, it’s a reminder to those gun owners that Wolf isn’t their friend. He’s another anti-gunner with delusions of adequacy. Nothing more, nothing less.

That’s about the only way this bill will accomplish its goals.

Still, I wish them luck and would love to see Wolf’s veto get overridden. It would be beyond glorious to watch that anti-gunner get smacked in the face with the fact that he’s so out of touch with the people of Pennsylvania. Hell, put it on pay-per-view and watch the state not need tax revenue for the next decade.

https://bearingarms.com/tomknighton/2021/05/13/sanctuary-state-n45121

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