by Bob Adelmann
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper is going to sign new gun bills into law today even though he knows they won’t be enforced. That’s the mindset of a dictator. This reminds me of the Townsend Acts passed by King George III. He knew they were unenforceable and that they would enrage the colonists, but he went ahead with them anyway. Those acts were the tipping point for colonial America. But Hickenlooper is deaf and blind to all of this.
The bills involve charging the buyer of a firearm to pay for his own background check, putting a limit of 15 rounds in a magazine, and mandating background checks on private sales of firearms. The fee is perceived by many as paying for his own enslavement. The magazine limit bill is so written that every magazine owned by Colorado citizens instantly make them outlaws. And background checks on private sales invades precious rights to privacy. Worst of all, none of these will impact the criminal element in the slightest. Hickenlooper knows it, but he marches ahead nevertheless.
What’s waiting for him are the county sheriffs of Colorado, some of whom have already stated they will not enforce the bills when they become law. They are following their oaths of office. They are, in other words, constitutional sheriffs. Here’s this from the Constitutional Law Enforcement Association:
What happens when government does not obey its own constitution? What punishment is meted out to politicians who vote for and pass unconstitutional laws? What happens if they appoint unlawful bureaucracies or allow their agents to violate the rights of the American citizen?
The duty to stop such criminality lies with the county sheriff.
The office of sheriff has a long and noble history. It dates back over a thousand years and originated in England. The sheriff is the only elected law enforcement official in America. He is the last line of defense for his citizens. He is the people’s protector. He is the keeper of the peace, he is the guardian of liberty and the protector of rights. (my emphasis)
Put simply, the county sheriff determines which laws will be enforced and which will be ignored.
The Denver Post understands this:
Weld County Sheriff John Cooke says he won’t enforce new gun-control measures, and legal experts say he won’t be breaking the law.
Prioritizing how laws are enforced is the prerogative of local police chiefs and sheriffs. A lawsuit could be filed compelling Cooke or any other sheriff who declines to apply gun laws now on their way to the governor’s desk, but it is the voters who ultimately will decide their fates.
“It is the voters who ultimately will decide…” Precisely.
Good luck with those bills, guv.
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A graduate of Cornell University and a former investment advisor, Bob is a regular contributor to The New American magazine and blogs frequently at www.LightFromTheRight.com, primarily on economics and politics. He can be reached at badelmann@thenewamerican.com.
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