The Marshall County Commissioners may soon revisit a proposal to designate the county a “Second Amendment sanctuary.” Generally, governments declaring themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries” say they won’t enforce gun-related laws they believe to be unconstitutional.
Resident Don Nunemaker brought the proposal to the county commissioners Monday. He felt that gun laws currently in place across the country do little to improve security.
"Most gun owners I know are pretty ethical, and they wouldn’t do anything ‘illegal,’ if you will," Nunemaker told the commissioners. "The people we need to worry about are criminals."
He suggested Marshall County adopt a resolution based on language in place in Kosciusko County. Its commissioners adopted an ordinance in 2021, saying the county wouldn’t use any personnel or financial resources to enforce laws it believes violate the 2nd Amendment. It also called for Indiana to become a “Second Amendment sanctuary state.”
Marshall County Commissioner Jesse Bohannon said he’d be in favor of adopting identical language. "I’ve taken a look at the Kosciusko County resolution, and obviously, those folks over there are – they’re good conservatives, but they’re also not crazy," Bohannon said.
Nunemaker previously proposed a “Second Amendment sanctuary” resolution in 2021, but the commissioners opted not to move forward with it. A year before that, a similar request failed to gain traction in nearby Pulaski County, when its attorney argued that laws’ constitutionality should instead be decided through the court system.
The Marshall County Commissioners plan to consider proposed language at their next meeting.
