COUNTY CRIES SANCTUARY: Supervisors delay Second Amendment sanctuary, await further feedback

Supervisors will wait until their next meeting to decide whether Jasper County will become a Second Amendment sanctuary.

If it is designated a gun sanctuary, Jasper County would be able to oppose state or federal enforcement of laws that its elected officials believe violate citizens’ Second Amendment rights; particularly confiscations, mandatory buybacks, regulated magazine capacities and red flag laws.

However, the resolution was not put to a vote during the Tuesday, July 6 meeting. Instead, supervisors tabled the action, citing the need for more public discussion and to also address accusations that the board was trying to “backdoor” the resolution after a holiday weekend.

Apart from one citizen who voiced their support of the resolution, no other guest gave supervisors any feedback during the open meeting.

Jasper County Supervisor Brandon Talsma told Newton News he is more than willing to have conversations with citizens about making the county a gun sanctuary. Prior to the meeting, he had received a few phone calls and emails regarding, some of which Talsma said had “unwarranted” concerns.

“They were about fears of what this resolution doesn’t do,” Talsma said. “It was fears of doing away with background checks, and it doesn’t do that. It was fears that we were trying to backdoor it, which is once again why I was more than willing to table it until next week and have more discussion about it.”

The resolution included in the Jasper County Board of Supervisors agenda packet is an exact copy drafted in 2020 by the Iowa Firearms Coalition, in collaboration with the National Rifle Association’s “lobbying arm” the Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA).

Iowa Firearms Coalition has instructed governments to use the example resolution by replacing “YOUR” with the name of their respective county. A quote from the U.S. Constitution is excluded from Jasper County’s resolution; otherwise, the language reads exactly the same.

“I had like four or five rough drafts that I typed up,” Talsma told Newton News “The reason I went with this one is just because it’s a lot more simplified. I didn’t think there was a need to over-complicate it, which was what mine were typically doing and just going more in-depth where it probably shouldn’t be.”

Talsma explained what prompted the gun sanctuary resolution was a combination of statements made by President Joe Biden and certain Republican congressmen supporting red flag laws.

Typically, red flag laws permit police or family members to petition the courts and order temporary removal of firearms from people who might present a danger to themselves or others. Talsma argued these laws are “direct violation of due process” and citizens’ constitutional rights.

Doug Cupples, chair of the Jasper County Board of Supervisors, said he also received input from constituents and wanted to know the pros and cons of a gun sanctuary. Talsma said the cons are there could be potential pushback and possibly pulled funding, but he doesn’t think that’s likely.

Talsma said the county’s gun sanctuary resolution doesn’t go to the level Missouri went to with its “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” which imposes $50,000 fines on any state or local official who enforces federal gun regulations that is not also a law in the state.

Cupples said some constituents told him the supervisors were pushing the issue too fast, but both he and Talsma disagreed. Before the supervisors voted to table the resolution until another meeeting, Cupples stated he is going to support it. But if they need “a couple more meetings” to talk about it, so be it.

“I’m not going to change my mind, but I think I maybe need to listen to what the people might have to say,” Cupples said.

Denny Carpenter, vice chair of the county board of supervisors, added, “I would think some more public input into it wouldn’t hurt anything.”

TALSMA PREPARES HIS ARGUMENT

At the meeting, Talsma read from prepared a statement, clarifying what the resolution does and why Jasper County should be a gun sanctuary:

“Today’s resolution is about protecting the Second Amendment rights of the citizens of Jasper County,” Talsma said. “All of us, just like every other elected official at every level, have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution. In recent months the Second Amendment has again come under attack.”

“Even thought we are only county supervisors, we are tasked with this mission just as the higher levels of government are. I believe this resolution is necessary because we cannot rely solely upon the federal or state government to protect out citizens’ natural rights. This duty also falls to us.

“Government’s responsibility on every level their first and primary responsibility is to protect these natural rights. This resolution is a simple statement saying Jasper County and its employees will not enforce any legislation or executive order from the state or federal government that would infringe on this right.

“This would include such things as confiscations, mandatory, buy backs, registrations, regulations on magazine capacities and red flag laws. Also through passing this resolution we are taking steps to ensure the safety or our personnel, specifically our law enforcement officers.

“Most of the time that is who it comes down to to do the enforcing of such orders and legislation.

“Last year is a perfect example as to how these executive actions often come back to local (law enforcement officers) to enforce. As Gov. (Kim) Reynolds ordered bars, restaurants and hair salons to close, local law enforcement were then tasked with having to go around and enforce these executive actions.

“Higher levels of government all too often routinely rely on local (law enforcement) to enforce and carry out their orders. I’m not saying that there’s anything inherently wrong with this or that it shouldn’t be done in this method. However, I do believe it is within local government’s right to say ‘no’ at times.

“When those laws and executive orders violate an individual’s personal, natural rights it is the local government’s responsibility to say ‘no.’

“The Iowa Legislature passed several pieces of legislation this past session that made Iowa more Second Amendment friendly. However, I believe that in light of conversations that have been taking place on the federal level, they did not go far enough.

“I for one believe that this is something we need to make clearly known now and not wait for something to come down. It is not just the federal and state elected officials that are tasked with protecting citizens’ rights. I believe that this is something we need to be proactive about and not reactive.

“I don’t think we should a wait-and-see mindset and then try to deal with it on the backside.

“This resolution by no means will allow firearms to be purchased without background checks, for felons to be able to obtain firearms, for people to be able to carry on school grounds or anything else of the like.

“This resolution also, like many other resolutions we pass and all of our ordinances, only pertain to our departments and unincorporated territory.

“Once again, it is just letting it be known that Jasper County will not enforce and federal or state legislation or executive orders that infringe on our citizens’ Second Amendment rights. If the federal government or the state want to come in and enforce it themselves, they can. But Jasper County will not.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com