Washington County supervisors to discuss Second Amendment sanctuary resolution

On Tuesday morning, the Washington County Board of Supervisors will begin discussions on a resolution designating the county as a Second Amendment sanctuary.

The board agenda, released Friday morning, has the proposal as a discussion item only, with no action expected to be taken.

Supervisor Jack Seward Jr. confirmed that Friday, saying, “I expected discussion without action at this time.”

Seward said that he hopes County Attorney John Gish will be able to attend the meeting and participate in the discussion.

“Hopefully, the county attorney will be able to be in attendance,” Seward said. “I know court takes priority though.”

In July, Seward announced that he had put together a rough draft of a resolution to protect the right to bear arms in Washington County.

“I just really believe we really need to affirm the rights of the people to defend themselves in any way they find legal and appropriate,” Seward said in July.

He said that the resolution is needed to protect the rights of county residents from what he sees as a trend toward tighter gun control.

“Just the way things are going — or seem headed — at the national level with proponents of bigger government imposing on our freedoms and liberties in general,” Seward said. “The gun control lobby seems to be pushing for more and more laws that actually only impact the law-abiding among us, and I can’t see will do anything to stop criminal activity.

“Couple that with the latest defund the police push and the soft on crime policies of some prosecutors that we don’t want to see come around here.”

Five other counties in Iowa — Jasper, Hardin, Cedar, Adams and Madison counties — have passed similar resolutions over the past month.

Seward said that he based the language of the Washington County resolution on those passed in Jasper and Hardin counties.

“The language in the resolution that I revised from the Hardin and Jasper County resolutions lays it out pretty well for why it is reasonable for us to consider a local resolution,” he said.

The proposed resolution, like the one passed in Hardin County, states that any state or federal law or executive order “that infringes upon the constitutionally protected natural Right of the people of Washington County, Iowa to Keep and Bear Arms shall not be enforced by any individual employed by the Washington County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Office, or any other employee of Washington County, Iowa.”

Seward pointed out that the final clause of the resolution clarifies that it only applies to laws or executive orders passed or issued after the date of the resolution’s adoption.

“It seems to me that the laws presently in place can and will be enforced like it is today,” he said. “It shouldn’t change that.”

He emphasized that the proposed resolution is a rough draft.

“It is a rough first draft,” he said. “There will be another draft when the read file comes out when it comes up on the agenda.”

The Board of Supervisors meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Washington County Courthouse. Meetings are open to the public.