Counties declare ‘sanctuary’ status to fight gun restrictions

CHICAGO — Several rural

Illinois counties have taken a stand for gun rights by co-opting a word that conservatives associate with a liberal policy to skirt the law: sanctuary.

At least f ive counties recently passed resolutions declaring themselves sanctuary counties for gun owners — a reference to so-called sanctuary cities such as Chicago that don’t cooperate up in the suburbs. of one other place, Oregon’s with aspects of federal immi“We’re just stealing the Deschutes County, that is gration enforcement. language that sanctuary citlooking at doing something

The resolutions are meant ies use,” explained the Eff- similar to the Illinois counto put the Democratic-con- ingham County’s top prosties. “If you’ve got four or trolled Legislature on notice ecutor, Bryan Kibler, who five counties telling Chithat if it passes a host of came up with the idea. cago something, that’s siggun bills, including new Not lost on them is that nificant.” age restrictions for certain lawmakers from Chicago Such talk worries Kathweapons, a bump stock ban were instrumental in turn- leen Willis, a Democratic and size limit for gun mag- ing Illinois into what they state representative from azines, the counties might derisively call a “sanctu- suburban Chicago who bar their employees from ary state” by passing recent sponsored some of the gun enforcing the new laws. legislation that prohibits legislation.

“It’s a buzzword, a word local law enforcement from “I don’t think you can that really gets attention. arresting or detaining peosay, ‘I don’t agree with the With all these sanctuary ple based solely on their law so I won’t enforce it,’” cities, we just decided to immigration status. Repub- she said. “I think it sends turn it around to protect lican Gov. Bruce Rauner the wrong message.” our Second Amendment signed it into law. Kibler, though, said he rights,” said David Camp“They are trying to make a thinks the resolutions send bell, vice chairman of the point that they really resent the same message that cities Effingham County Board. how the city of Chicago like Chicago send by refusHe said at least 20 Illinois treats the rest of the state ing to cooperate with fedcounties and local officials and how they’re treated as eral immigration authoriin Oregon and Washington gun owners,” said Richard ties. He said he won’t spechave asked for copies of Eff- Pearson, executive direculate about how he’d deal ingham County’s resolution. tor of the Illinois State Rifle with new gun restrictions

County officials fear their Association. that haven’t been signed state legislators won’t be The resolutions are largely into law, but that legislaable to stop the passage of symbolic — a way for comtors need to understand, the gun restrictions because munities where guns are “If you pass it we might not they are outnumbered by cherished and where hunt- pay attention to it.” lawmakers from in and ing is a way of life to make Kibler pointed out that around Chicago, where the the point that they view prosecutors already have a vast majority of the more most restrictions on guns lot of discretion and cited an than 650 homicides last to be unconstitutional. example in which he gave year involved guns. “We wanted to ... get a gun owner a break. He

Co-opting the sanctuary across that our Second dismissed charges against title is also a way of draw- Amendm e nt rights are a man after police found a ing attention to the rural-ur- slowly being stripped away,” gun in the car he’d driven ban political divide that was Kibler said. from Mississippi, where it is so stark in the last general Dave Workman, of the legal to carry guns openly, election, when “downstate” Bellevue, Wash.-based Sec- to Illinois, where it’s not. areas of Illinois backed Don- ond Amendment Founda- “The guy had no (criminal) ald Trump, who remains tion, sees something more. history and he had it on the popular with those voters, “It’s like a warning shot side of the front seat of his while the Chicago backed across somebody’s bow,” car in a sack, so I dismissed Hillary Clinton, who grew said Workman, who knows it,” he said. “They are trying to make a point that they really resent how the city of Chicago treats the rest of the state and how they’re treated as gun owners”

— Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association

“I don’t think you can say, ‘I don’t agree with the law so I won’t enforce it.’ I think it sends the wrong message.”

— Kathleen Willis, a Democratic state representative who sponsored some of the gun legislation