Gun sanctuary resolution presented to commission

Published 8:26 am Thursday, January 16, 2020

PROCTORVILLE — At Tuesday’s Lawrence County Commissioners meeting at Proctor’s Landing, one of the subjects was a 2nd Amendment sanctuary resolution.

The resolution was brought to the commissioners by Lawrence Township trustee Larry Pernestti, of Kitts Hill.

“Our 2nd Amendment rights are under fire and under attack,” he said, citing proposed laws in Virginia and that the Ohio governor and some legislators are working on some laws that would, if passed, upset those who support 2nd Amendment rights.

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“So, myself and several others have decided to do what is called a resolution for Lawrence County to become a 2nd Amendment sanctuary county,” Pernestti said.

He said that two counties in Ohio have already passed similar resolutions, which are Meigs and Clermont counties, and others are considering it. In Kentucky, Boyd, Carter and Greenup counties are amongst the 46 counties out of 120 that have passed the legislation. In West Virginia, only Putnam County has passed a gun sanctuary resolution.

Pernestti said the resolutions have been passed to “prohibit or impede the enforcement of certain gun control measures that are perceived as violating the 2nd Amendment, such as universal gun background checks, high-capacity magazines bans, assault weapons bans, red flag laws, etc.”

He said he is for background checks since he “doesn’t want bad people running around with guns and I know most of you are the same.”

Pernestti said he gave copies of the resolution to Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless and the commissioners on Monday.

“I just ask, if everything is legal and correct to please pass the resolution and make Lawrence County a 2nd Amendment sanctuary county,” Pernestti said.

The commissioners accepted the resolution and made it part of the record. The commissioners have sent the resolution on to prosecutor’s office for review before they vote on the matter.

Lawless spoke and said when it comes to the 2nd Amendment sanctuary resolution, he and the commissioners are committed “as leaders to making sure the citizens of Lawrence County are protected and their rights remain intact.”

He said he believes grassroots efforts like this are “fundamental to our way of life.”

“Ohio stands together, Lawrence County stands together and these groups, I commend them for what they are doing right now, to kind of stand up and hope that some laws (legislators) are doing aren’t too overbearing,” he said, adding that one of among the fundamental rights in this country is to live free and the right of self-protection and the protection of others.

He pointed out that the process of having the resolution reviewed for legal issues and if it is something that the commissioner can do is not a fast one and that the commissioners may have to wait a bit to vote on it.

“It is not a fast moving process. We don’t want it to move fast, we want to make sure we get it right,” Lawless said.

The commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the JROC Center, 715 Lane St., Coal Grove.