The commissioners of Manatee County have proposed making the county a “Gun Sanctuary.” At a meeting of the county commission on Tuesday, Commissioner Jason Bearden submitted the resolution, claiming that it was necessary to defend individuals’ “God-given” rights. The commission unanimously gave the county attorney the authority to write a resolution.
“With all the gun regulation going on right now, this would be a good opportunity to send a message to Joe Biden,”
“That his unconstitutional policies will not be tolerated; that he can take his policies and stick it where the sun don’t shine.”
Bearden was vague on the content of such a resolution, but comparable initiatives in other counties typically declare their support for the Second Amendment and opposition to any federal or state policies that could be interpreted as infringing upon the rights of gun owners.
“I think it’s necessary that we join the ranks,”
Following Commission Chair Kevin van Osterbridge’s suggestion that the resolution’s name is altered to “Second Amendment” sanctuary, the vote to write a resolution passed with a perfect 6-0 count. There are 67 counties in Florida, and 42 of them have passed resolutions comparable to sanctuary cities.
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Amanda Ballard, Manatee County’s commissioner, has stated that the county’s proposed resolution would not be enacted as law. She said that the bill would not increase the possibility of violence since it
“It is not creating any new right to own a gun, not creating any more guns, not increasing the likelihood of violence,”
The response was varied. Manatee County Democratic Party Vice Chair Glenn Pearson called it “crazy” on ABC7.
“On the five-year anniversary of Parkland … It’s thumbing your nose at Red Flag laws.”
The so-called “red flag” rule permits police to disarm individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others. A mass shooting in Fort Lauderdale was prevented in part because of this rule, which Pearson claimed had been invoked 5,000 times in the past five years.
“It (resolution) doesn’t make any sense,”
He said.
Commissioner James Satcher expressed satisfaction with the final product, saying,
“When you see national politicians continuously come up with the wrong solution,”
He said.
“The actual solution is to allow the good people to arm themselves and to be dangerous when they need to be.”
Vanessa Baugh, a commissioner, expressed enthusiasm when the proposed resolution was added to the agenda.
“This is the most conservative board Manatee County has ever had. It shows where this county is heading,”
she remarked.
“It’s no secret we need to show the nation that Florida is definitely a free state,”
Baugh said.
Despite the tragedy that occurred in Parkland, Florida, if even one more person had been present at the school, it might have been prevented.
“The majority of people who do carry are good people. Good solid citizens that want to help and protect our state and our country,”
She said.
The chair of the Manatee County Democratic Party, Evelyn Almodóvar, used CDC data from an analysis of data from medium-sized cities from 2016-2020 during a public discussion on the resolution. In those statistics, Bradenton, Florida, had the highest suicide rate in the United States due to the use of a firearm, at 34.5 per 100,000 residents.
She emphasized that the resolution “endangers citizens” Manatee County resident Andrea Griffin has expressed her approval of the resolution.
“There was a lot of knee-jerk reaction to Parkland,”
She said.
“Students are sitting ducks. Doors are locked. Windows are locked. Crazed maniacs can go in and do anything they want,”
She said.
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