JONESVILLE, Va. — Lee County became the latest Virginia locality to declare itself a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” after the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution at its meeting Tuesday.
The declaration comes as Democrats are set to take over the state Senate and House of Delegates following victories in legislative elections earlier this month. And with a Democratic governor in office, it appears gun-control legislation that previously failed to pass through Republican-led committees will be more likely to succeed.
Lee County — located in far Southwest Virginia — joins a number of counties around the state whose leaders declared their localities as “Second Amendment sanctuary” counties following the election. This list includes Appomattox, Campbell and Pittsylvania counties.
Lee County’s resolution declares that it intends “to uphold the Second Amendment rights of the citizens” and that public funds won’t be used “to restrict Second Amendment rights or to aid in the unnecessary and unconstitutional restriction of the right under the Second Amendment of the citizens of Lee County, Virginia to bear arms.”
The resolution states that the Board of Supervisors would be willing to court action to oppose “unconstitutional restrictions” on gun rights.
Supervisor D.D. Leonard introduced the resolution, which passed with a 4-1 vote with Supervisor Larry Mosley opposed, according to Lee County Administrative Assistant Jeny Hughes.
Leonard and Mosley did not immediately return requests for comment Wednesday.
The supervisors’ vote came the day after Lee County Sheriff Gary Parsons posted on his office’s Facebook page that he and his officers “will stand up to any federal or state agency that attempts to infringe upon our gun rights.”
“We stand for the Constitution and the second amendment,” he added.
Parsons was not immediately available for comment on the post Wednesday — a woman who picked up his office's phone said he was out of the office for the rest of the day.
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