BUCYRUS — A petition circulating Crawford County is calling for Crawford County officials to make a statement, by becoming a Second Amendment sanctuary county.
Second Amendment sanctuary county resolutions are considered statements of opposition against Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed Senate Bill 221, called the Strong Ohio Bill. The resolutions are not legally binding.
SB 221 “regards firearm protection orders/seller protection certificates,” according to The Ohio Legislature website. The bill involves legislative language on the sales of firearms and the ability to petition to legal and law enforcement officials against another citizen’s ability to possess firearms for a variety of reasons.
The entire bill may be found here.
As of Jan. 30, ten counties, all located in southern Ohio, have had resolutions adopted by elected officials to declare their county a Second Amendment sanctuary, according to Ohio Stands United’s Facebook page. Forty counties, as of the same date, reportedly had Ohio Stands United groups or meetings established on a local level.
On Jan. 30, the Crawford County Board of Commissioners released a statement regarding the status of the Second Amendment.
“Recently, there has been concerns about Second Amendment rights being taken away or limited by the State of Ohio,” the statement read. “Before taking office, the Crawford County Commissioners swore an oath to support the United States constitution and the constitution of the State of Ohio. So long as the Second Amendment remains, the Commissioners will continue to uphold our oath to support it.”
The basic support of the Second Amendment is a concept shared by other elected officials in the county. Bucyrus Mayor Jeff Reser said conversations on social media have claimed he is actively organizing an effort in opposition of the sanctuary resolution petition.
“That is a complete lie,” Reser said.
Reser said he, too, is a supporter of the Second Amendment, but the declaration to claim to be a sanctuary county may be too hasty.
“There is a lot to look at before considering doing this or not,” Reser said. “From attracting businesses and residents and the possibility of if it will affect receiving government funding.”
Bucyrus City Council President Kurt Fankhauser said he believes the statement may attract businesses to the area.
“I actually think we could position Bucyrus to get a new high paying manufacturing plant to move into the industrial park. Perhaps a firearms manufacturer in Virginia that no longer wants to be in that state could relocate to Bucyrus,” Fankhauser said. “I don’t think any business will move out. It’s the same concept of the Hollywood celebrity’s that always threaten to move to Canada when a Republican President gets elected. They always say they are moving but never end up following through.”
Reser said some Bucyrus residents have said they do not believe this to be the right moment for such a resolution. He added he believes it is good to have the discussions, but perhaps not act yet. Meanwhile, some area residents involved in the Ohio Stands United movement have reportedly claimed to be ready to boycott businesses who do not agree with making Crawford County a sanctuary county.
“I don’t think that will happen,” Fankhauser said. “Members of that group have personally re-assured me that they will not stage any boycotts of local businesses.”
Fankhauser believes it is the right method to make the voices of local citizens heard and now is the right time to do it.
“Individual Rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution should not be taken lightly,” Fankhauser said. “They should at all times be protected by elected officials at all levels of government. That is why elected officials take oaths when they are sworn into office. A politician that won’t stand up and fight for your second amendment rights won’t stand up and fight for any of your other rights.”
He said it is not his top priority as council president, but he does find it extremely important. He believes citizens should contact their elected officials and share their opinions with them.
“There are many priority’s going on with council rights now. The reason this is drawing so much attention is because people feel passionately about their Constitutional rights, as they should,” Fankhauser said. “Council is listening to the people and if you want to voice your stance on the issue no matter what side you’re on the most effective way you can is be emailing all the elected members of council.”
Rep. Riordan McClain, 87th District of the Ohio House of Representatives, said SB 221 currently is in the Ohio Senate Committee of Government Oversight and Reform and is continuing to be put through deliberation. Next, it would make its way to the House of Representatives.
McClain said he currently is monitoring the situation in the statehouse and around his district. He said, though they are not legally binding, he does monitor resolutions passed at the local level to gauge the opinions of his constituents.
Fankhauser said letting elected officials in the statehouse know local opinions, despite it not being a legally-binding policy, is enough reason to move forward with the resolution.
“I think people have become numb to what their Constitutional Rights are in this Country,” Fankhauser said. “The founding fathers specifically wrote the Bill of Rights for a reason. We should at all times be vigilant and protective of those rights. Otherwise your rights can be eroded away and someday you can wake up and be in the same situation as those citizens in Virginia that are having their rights infringed upon.”
McClain said he does not support the Strong Ohio Bill in its current form, because he believes it violates the Fourth Amendment and a citizen’s due process.
“I won’t support anything that takes away due process and makes a citizen fight for their rights back,” McClain said.
He added he is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, cosponsoring legislation such as constitutional carry, which currently is in the House of Representatives.
He said he will continue to monitor the bill as well as local motions on the issue.
The sanctuary resolution movement largely is being led by Bucyrus resident Robert Taylor. Despite Taylor being charged in Stow Municipal Court with a gun offense in August, a first-degree misdemeanor charge for carrying a concealed weapon in Cuyahoga Falls, Fankhauser believes Taylor has the right to advocate for what he believes in.
“Robert Taylor voluntarily served his country as a marine infantryman and was honorably discharged from the Armed Services,” Fankhauser said. “Some of Ohio’s firearms laws are a mess and people can be charged for things in situations they shouldn’t be. A lot of it is officer discretion. In my opinion, by Robert’s service he has given to this country, he has earned the right to say whatever he wants and advocate for whatever issue he wants.”
Bucyrus City Council previously declined to take the issue into a committee’s consideration, while multiple city residents have spoken on the matter at past council meetings.
Council’s next meeting is tonight, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. at Bucyrus City Hall.