Roseau County Becomes Minnesota’s First Second Amendment Sanctuary Jurisdiction

The Roseau County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to become Minnesota’s first Second Amendment sanctuary county.

As such, the county will refuse to direct its police officers to enforce any gun control laws passed by the Legislature or aid any federal and state agencies in the restriction of Second Amendment rights.

“Certain legislation, beyond existing laws to date, that has or may be introduced in the Minnesota Legislature in the future, and certain legislation which has or may be introduced in the United States Congress in the future, could have the effect of infringing on the rights of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution,” states the resolution.

The resolution affirms the county’s right to use “legal means at its disposal to protect the rights of the citizens of Roseau County to keep and bear arms, including through legal action, the power to appropriate public funds, the right to petition for redress of grievances, and the power to direct law enforcement and employees of Roseau County to not enforce any future unconstitutional law.”

Republican state lawmakers have asked at least three other counties to declare themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries and praised Roseau County’s resolution.

“Grassroots efforts to ensure that gun rights in Minnesota are protected remain essential,” said Rep. Jeremy Munson (R-Lake Crystal). “We do not want to see a top-down mandate from the state, rather we want to see individuals having conversations with their county commissioners, police chiefs, and County Sheriffs. We want counties to know that people do not want to see enforced gun control measures that violate the Second Amendment.”

State Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) said he hopes “other counties will soon follow their lead.”

“My hat is off to the county commissioners and Sheriff of Roseau County for displaying the courage necessary to ‘stand in the gap’ to protect the Second Amendment in their country,” he said.

Drazkowski’s New House Republican Caucus has posted model language to its website that counties can use in crafting Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions.

Roseau County is located in the northwestern corner of the state along the U.S.-Canada border and has a population of 16,201. Nearly 400 counties across the country have adopted similar resolutions.

Gov. Tim Walz said in a January interview that sanctuary county resolutions are “pretty much a moot point” because gun control laws will be enforced regardless.

“I think it’s just another step in that battle against common sense, just reasonable safety precautions that we put in place,” he said.

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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Roseau County Resolution Vote” by Roseau County Republicans.