• Lawmen from across nation say gun confiscations unconstitutional
By Pat Shannan
In the aftermath of multiple mass shootings in 2012, the liberal uproar for gun registration and confiscation dominates the news. But one sheriff in Kentucky is not buying it, telling local residents that his office will refuse to comply with any federal orders mandating gun confiscation.
Following Vice President Joe Biden’s announcement that the president will be announcing restrictions on the purchase of guns and ammunition, Jackson County, Kentucky Sheriff Denny Peyman called a town meeting where many citizens showed up.
He told his audience, “My office will not comply with any federal action which violates the United States Constitution or the Kentucky Constitution which I swore to uphold. Let them pull that stuff in other places if they want, but not in Jackson County, Kentucky.”
Should Obama try to issue an executive order (EO) calling for more gun control, he and it will be restricted to the management of the federal government only and “no part of an executive order may direct the agencies to conduct illegal or unconstitutional activities,” according to the federal rules surrounding EOs.
The White House will likely have a hard time ordering local sheriffs to back any calls for gun registration or confiscation. Former Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack told AMERICAN FREE PRESS that at least 10% of America’s 3,078 sheriffs are behind his Constitutional Sheriff and Peace Officers Association organization, and he expects the number to grow exponentially in 2013 as he travels the country meeting with police officers.
“Gun control is illegal and it’s against the Constitution,” Mack recently told a popular news website. “What people don’t realize is that the Second Amendment was designed to protect us from the power of the federal government.”
The question is, will federal power still prevail over local law enforcement? After all, when in the 1960s southern governors attempted to use National Guard forces to block school desegregation initiatives, the president promptly mobilized the Guard into the Army Reserve. This placed the commanders under federal authority, and threatened them with court martial should they not carry out executive directives against their own people.
The same could happen in the case of new gun mandates. But Washington will surely have a harder time bullying the owners of more than 80M guns in the United States and the sheriffs who support them.
Pat Shannan is an AFP contributing editor and the author of several best-selling videos and books.
