As Twitchy has reported, now that the Virginia legislature is majority Democrat, more and more counties are voting to become “Second Amendment sanctuaries.” The Washington Post called the movement a fad and “mainly symbolic,” but municipalities are taking it very seriously in the wake of Gov. Ralph Northam’s stance on gun control and widespread talk of gun confiscation during the Democratic presidential debates.
The idea, of course, is just as law enforcement refuse to cooperate with federal agencies like ICE in order to harbor illegal aliens in their self-declared sanctuary cities, law enforcement would refuse to cooperate with gun confiscation or mandatory buybacks of semi-automatic weapons. Northam seems to not want to face the issue, saying recently that that’s a bridge he’ll cross when he comes to it.
“There’s not going to be retaliation,” he told a reporter in regard to gun sanctuaries, but he also vaguely promised there’d be “consequences” if a municipality refused to comply with constitutional laws on the books.
The Washington Examiner reports Saturday that at least one Democratic representative has said Northam “may have to nationalize the National Guard to enforce the law” if it comes down to that.
Yes, Virginia, @RalphNortham really can use the National Guard to enforce gun control.https://t.co/bgVoIJkRql
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 14, 2019
The president, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, is the only person who can nationalize the Guard, but state governors have the latitude to use it to enforce state law, legal experts said.
“Until nationalized, it’s a creature of the state. So that’s what leads me to believe that, yes, the governor can activate the National Guard to enforce even a state law,” Gary Solis, a military law professor at Georgetown University, told the Washington Examiner.
Amy Swearer, a legal policy analyst who works on gun control issues, agreed that the governor has the right to use the Virginia National Guard to enforce the law, though it would break from past mobilizations.
“to suggest the National Guard would be brought in to otherwise peaceful jurisdictions to enforce restrictions on constitutional rights, that would be completely unprecedented in terms of how the National Guard has been used when it’s mobilized to restore law and order.”
— ROHIRRIM RONIN (@ROHIRRIM_RONIN) December 14, 2019
It certainly would be unprecedented.
Bring it.
— ?The?FOO?? (@PolitiBunny) December 14, 2019
I’m gonna put my money on the citizens.
— KP Scan (@Markitan8dude) December 14, 2019
Gun control violates the Virginia and US Constitutions, so any national guard member that follows those orders is in direct violation of their oath to defend and uphold the Constitution, is a traitor and would deserve the hangman’s noose. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
— Robert B (@PatriotBeez) December 14, 2019
The Second American Civil War
Ground Zero: Virginia.
— J.S.R. Rayburn ? (@jsrrayburn) December 14, 2019
He apparently has never met any National Guard troops. He might be surprised at their reactions to such orders.
— Simon Jester (@SimonJesterUSA) December 14, 2019
Yes, the National Guard in Virginia, full of men and women from Virginia, is going to go after the men and women in their own counties.
In reality most would either desert or refuse these unconstitutional orders.
— A Bear (@Bearocalypse) December 14, 2019
I'm sure all of the volunteer guardsmen would just jump at the chance to fight their family, friends, and neighbors. ?
— Zach (@Z_GoodieStyle) December 14, 2019
….and murder them with weapons more lethal than the ones they are attempting to confiscate.
— Sgt Skillcraft (@Sgt_Skillcraft) December 14, 2019
A country that turns its military on its own people should be destroyed.
— Douglas Karr (@douglaskarr) December 14, 2019
“Hey 1LT Smith, I need you to take your platoon to this neighborhood in Norfolk, knock on the doors on this map here, and confiscate the AR-15s in these citizens’ homes. Got it?”
“That’s an unconstitutional and unlawful order sir, and I legally cannot follow it. Negative, sir.”
— Michael Koolidge (@koolidge) December 14, 2019
“Court martial me.”
— Michael Koolidge (@koolidge) December 14, 2019
Northam will get the fight of his life.
— Jill Warren (@JillWar628) December 14, 2019
The threat in itself is proof enough that this about people control, it has little to do w/crime, safety, or firearms. It's about control, keep the public docile & disarmed. #2A
— Peacedog69 (@Peacedog69) December 14, 2019
How many National Guardsmen does Virginia have? About 7,500 for the entire state. That's smaller than the NYPD.
How many National Guardsmen are citizens in the sanctuary counties? Probably the majority.
— richard mcenroe (@richard_mcenroe) December 14, 2019
There's not enough national guard in all of Virginia to enforce that.
— DeepRedState (@Beau_W_NC) December 14, 2019
— Buck Wild (@BuckWilde_) December 14, 2019
Good luck, commies. pic.twitter.com/hE0AlVQZNv
— khanj42 (@khanj42) December 14, 2019
He can try.
— Noneya Bidnet (@JamesSingSing) December 14, 2019
I can’t see the rich and well heeled of Northam’s support base in Northern Virginia piling out of their townhouses and Georgetown dorm rooms to wage war for Northam.
— Chris (@_crisofur) December 14, 2019
I bet Trump has a lot easier time finding 100,000 volunteer federal troops to protect those counties than Northam does finding 100,000 volunteer troops to invade those counties and confiscate guns .
— Chris (@_crisofur) December 14, 2019
Will he require they be in Blackface?
— Me Chomper (@chmpr) December 14, 2019
Yeeeeah….don’t think that will happen, but sure is fun to put it out there…isn’t it?
— Brian Roynestad (@BRoy1113) December 14, 2019
Can WE use The National Guard to enforce immigration law in sanctuary cities?
— Conservative in Marin (@JNOV57) December 14, 2019
Related:
Gov. Ralph Northam warns localities of ‘consequences’ if they don’t enforce gun control laws https://t.co/VQsooTnJa3
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) December 12, 2019
