Readers Viewpoint 3-8-2023

To the Editor,
Attention Iron County residents: Please consider attending the next Board of Commissioners meeting concerning Iron County becoming a Second Amendment Sanctuary County. Meeting is March 14 at 4 p.m. in the Commissioners Room of the County Courthouse, 2 South Sixth St., Crystal Falls.
Many Iron County residents are concerned about the path our State is on regarding infringement on our right to bear arms. Iron County residents, along with many other Michiganders, believe we need to make strides towards this county becoming a Second Amendment Sanctuary. Second Amendment Sanctuary County refers to a county in the United States that has adopted laws or resolutions to prohibit or impede the enforcement of certain gun control measures which are perceived to violate the second amendment (2A) such as red flag laws, high-capacity magazine bans and assault weapon bans.
These 2A resolutions have been very successful across the nation and are intended to send a strong message to legislatures that law abiding citizens represented by their local governments are opposed to such gun control measures. 2A resolutions also have real weight. For example, in Illinois the governor signed into law an assault weapons ban. Ninety percent of sheriffs collectively said they will not enforce the ban and that the bill is unconstitutional. One week later a judge in the state agreed and ordered an official restraining order against the bill. Within his 11-page order this is what the judge said “this court finds that plaintiffs in fact have a constitutional fundamental right that is subjected to strict scrutiny and is protected by the constitution of Illinois and the United States. Plaintiffs are being immediately and irreparably harmed each day in which the right to bear arms is being denied and that this harm is continuing in nature”.
Seven out of 14 counties in the Upper Peninsula and 42 out of the 68 counties in the Lower Peninsula Michigan have passed 2A resolutions. Sixty one percent of counties in the United States have passed 2A county resolutions in two years time.
Since Dec. 1, 2022, our state government has introduced five house bills that infringe on our constitutional rights. The main house bill that hurts most people is HB6544. HB6544 is a semi-automatic rifle ban. If state government passes this bill into law, they will redefine semi-automatic rifles into assault weapons. Michiganders not only use these tools as hunting rifles but also to defend one’s life, family and property.
Let’s touch on red flag laws for a moment. Red flag laws allow law enforcement, via a court order, to confiscate someone’s firearms if they are determined to be a threat to themselves or others. No due process, no innocent until proven guilty in the courts (which violates the first amendment second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth). Not only are red flag laws unconstitutional they also are used on a personal level as in divorces, misunderstandings or a perceived alleged threat.
The 2A sanctuary county resolution is about people’s voices being heard not just at the state level but also at the local level. Please attend the March 14, Iron County Board of Commissioner’s meeting. Please also consider contacting Michigan legislation and urging them to vote NO on any gun legislation that infringes on our right to bear arms.
-s- Steve Haag
Tom Hoenig
Todd Wloszczynski
Family Foods
Dickinson and Iron County Patriots