Rabun County becomes a Second Amendment Sanctuary

RABUN COUNTY, Ga – Following the lead of several other North Georgia counties, Rabun County Board of Commissioners passed a Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution during the Jan. 28, 2020 meeting.

Several citizens spoke in favor of the resolution including elected officials and former members of the armed forces during public commentary.

Sheriff Chad Nichols spoke on behalf of the resolution, “I’m gonna get on my soap box for just a minute. There’s been a lot of debate and a lot of things passed in our country and the most controversial are the red flag laws. I don’t agree with those. The way they’re being passed in other areas of course is a Second Amendment violation and also a Fourth Amendment and Fifth Amendment, due process and search and seizure. I feel the state should be putting more money toward mental health than gun control. I think that is one of the biggest issues in the country, and that’s kinda my two cents on that… [I’m] here to support the Second Amendment and defend it for citizens here in our county.”

Lynn Cash from Tiger, Ga commended the commissioners, “I appreciate the opportunity that this gives me to be sure that I can pass the legacy of hunting and shooting and spending time with my family in a field to my grandchildren.”

Ed Henderson, the secretary of the Rabun County Republican Party also voiced support and talked about Rainy Mountain Scout Camp, where teenagers and kids learn marksmanship and gun safety. Henderson asked for the county to remain “strong and resolute” because the Second Amendment is more than a “reference to Boston minutemen and musket rifles. It is a living part of our constitution.”

Heath Wittle wanted to know if the resolution offered any consequences if someone tried to force-ably take guns out of the home. He felt that if the resolution had “no teeth,” then it isn’t worth the paper, it’s written on.

One resident spoke up to warn the public about the potential fear factor with resolutions like these. “Don’t let the fear take over and work with your legislatures on what the Sheriff is talking about. Also, there is not enough information. They don’t know how it affects mental health because the NRA is extremely powerful…You have to be careful with the fear and not allow this to drive you to do things that aren’t in your best interest…Figure out how to keep people safe in Rabun County and still protect your Second Amendment Rights.”

Wade Williams, a retired Army Colonel, also served as a detractor for the sanctuary resolution and quoted Supreme Court Justice Antony Scalia. “I think this document here, well intended, does not do one thing to make any resident of this county safer. If you want to make somebody safer, you close the gun show loop holes, you expand background checks,” said Williams.

A retired Air Force Colonel asked, “What does it mean to be a Second Amendment Sanctuary County? People think they know, but I’m not exactly sure.”

“You can find this online, the CDC, FBI, US Department of Justice, they still believe: I’m trying to rob this man, he has a gun, he has effectively stopped that crime. So you want to be safe, unfortunately, you need to protect yourself, you need to train yourself, stated Matt Brewer.

Fetch Your News is reaching out to the commissioners in Rabun County to learn more about the content in the resolution and the reasoning behind it.

Lauren Souther

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Dr. Warren L. May says:

January 30, 2020 at 8:03 am

I was the citizen who spoke out about ensuring the best interests of those of us who own guns. I'm a retired Professor in the Public Health field. In 1997, we experienced one of the first publicized school shootings at Pearl HS in MS. It changes your community when that happens. Around that same time, the CDC banned us from collecting data on the link between gun laws and injuries/deaths through the Dickey Amendment. Dickey has said it was a terrible mistake. So, there is no clear evidence to support the notion that more guns makes us safer that is credible from the CDC or NIH, our starship research on Public Health. Unfortunately, there is much misconception out there. In December of last year, President Trump along with Congress released the first funding in 20 years to look at the problem. Obama issued a report in 2013 on how to guide the research on gun violence. As gun owners, we have not only a right BUT a responsibility. I am simply urging gun owners to take charge of this and demand from our legislators that they answer the questions about how we enact the laws that do make a difference. Otherwise, we are part of the problem and not the solution. What works? We don't know that answer from any reliable Scientific data. As a Public Health issue, we DO collect the data on gun shots and know that many are suicides or accidents and do know some measures, like education, that help. But we don't know about gun violence. I urge you to educate yourself by reading the actual literature, not just the bias from one side or another.
Denise Paul says:

February 23, 2020 at 8:26 pm

Statistics say between 95 & 98% of
mass shooting happen in gun free zones. That speaks volumes. We need to remember guns do not kill people anymore than shovels go around digging holes by themselves. They're both tools that's it. The problem is people with evil intentions or people who are under the influence of a drug. Every person I know who carries a weapon takes it very serious and is a law abiding citizen. I train and will continue to do so to fall to the level of my training in order to protect myself, my family and those around me who has no ability to protect themselves. This is our God given right by the Constitution of this great Country.