By Jalen Maki
Tomahawk Leader Editor
MERRILL – The Lincoln County Board of Supervisors, during its meeting at the Lincoln County Service Center in Merrill on Tuesday, Dec. 20, approved a resolution declaring Lincoln County a “Second Amendment sanctuary.”
The resolution passed this week was authored by District 13 Supervisor Calvin Callahan and co-sponsored by Board Vice-Chair and District 10 Supervisor Jesse Boyd.
Callahan introduced a similar resolution in 2020. At that time, the board voted to send the resolution to the Administrative and Legislative (A&L) Committee. No further action was taken.
Numerous Wisconsin counties, including Langlade, Oneida, Rusk, Sawyer and Vilas counties, have made similar declarations in previous years.
As of June 2021, about 2,000 counties – 61% of counties in the United States – had been declared Second Amendment sanctuaries, according to The Center Square, which focuses on state- and local-level government and economic reporting.
The City of Merrill Common Council approved a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution in Jan. 2020.
Resolution
The resolution approved by the board this week begins by quoting the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, saying, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
“Certain legislation could have the effect of infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the resolution states.
The resolution continues by saying the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors “are concerned about the passage of any bill containing language which could be interpreted as infringing the rights of the citizens of Lincoln County to keep and bear Arms or could begin a slippery slope of restrictions on the Second Amendment right of the citizens of Lincoln County.”
According to the resolution, the board “wishes to express its deep commitment to the rights of all citizens of Lincoln County to keep and bear Arms” and “wishes to express opposition to any law that would unconstitutionally restrict the rights under the Second Amendment of the citizens of Lincoln County to bear arms.”
The resolution says the board “hereby expresses its intent to uphold the Second Amendment rights of the citizens of Lincoln County and its intent that public funds of the County not be used to restrict Second Amendment rights or to aid in the unnecessary and unconstitutional restriction of the rights under the Second Amendment of the citizens of Lincoln County.”
Under the resolution, the board “declares its intent to oppose unconstitutional restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms through such legal means as may be expedient, including without limitation court action” and ultimately declares Lincoln County a “Second Amendment sanctuary.”
Public comment period
Three individuals utilized the meeting’s public comment period to voice their opposition to the resolution prior to the board’s vote.
“Those of us who are responsible gun owners, and there are millions of us, care more about the safety of our children, our families and our neighbors than some mythological idea of a good guy out of the Old West settling scores as they come along,” one individual said.
The individual pointed to Lincoln County’s declining population, saying, “No young professional is going to want to relocate themselves or their families to an area with deteriorating services and a reputation for having a Wild West atmosphere when it comes to guns.”
“We need more talented people, not an appeal to an ultra-fringe gun cult,” the individual stated. “… This resolution is not about preserving hunting, self-protection or recreational uses of firearms. Those rights are firmly in place.”
A second individual referenced gun violence in the United States and the “one nation under God” passage in the Pledge of Allegiance, saying, “What would Jesus do about this situation, about this decision? I simply ask you to ask yourself that question.”
A third individual said the resolution had been “taken up to please a certain constituency who likes to claim that our government is trying to take our guns away.”
Discussion, vote
Prior to the vote, the board discussed the resolution.
District 3 Supervisor Elizabeth McCrank noted that the resolution “does nothing” from a legal standpoint.
“(The resolution) is, by definition, something that is unconstitutional,” McCrank stated. “It is not a law. And while laws are sometimes declared unconstitutional, it is not within the powers of a county, or any body, really, beneath the Supreme Court level, to determine that something is unconstitutional.”
District 12 Supervisor Julie DePasse said the Second Amendment is intended to “protect an armed citizenry from the abuses of government.”
“It is important, I think, for us to vote on this and pass it because our rights are being taken away, and they’re being eroded pretty rapidly recently,” DePasse stated. “I think it’s important for us to say that we don’t want our rights eroded, because I do want this to be a community of freedom. It’s why I love it here.”
District 4 Supervisor Steve Osness Jr., who crafted the resolution that was passed in the City of Merrill in Jan. 2020, noted that Merrill has seen no issues related to the resolution since it was approved.
District 14 Supervisor Brian Hafeman said that when board members took their oaths office, they “pledged to honor the Constitution.”
“To me, the Second Amendment is part of the Constitution,” Hafeman stated. “I agree with a lot of people here that this is pretty much a useless piece of paper.”
After discussion, the resolution was ultimately approved by a 15 to 4 vote.
Voting in favor were DePasse, Osness Jr., Boyd, District 1 Supervisor Bill Bialecki, District 2 Supervisor Lori Anderson-Malm, District 5 Supervisor Don Wendorf, District 6 Supervisor Norbert Ashbeck, District 8 Supervisor Laurie Thiel, District 9 Supervisor and Board Chair Don Friske, District 11 Supervisor Randy Detert, District 15 Supervisor Marty Lemke, District 17 Supervisor Mike Loka, District 18 Supervisor Ken Wickham, District 20 Supervisor Angela Cummings and District 22 Supervisor Greg Hartwig.
McCrank, Hafeman, District 7 Supervisor Greta Rusch and District 19 Supervisor Julie Allen were opposed.