The sheriff of Culpeper County, Virginia, recently proposed a way to allow the law-abiding citizens in his county to maintain their Second Amendment rights, according to a statement on the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office Facebook.
As the post suggested, Scott Jenkins, the Culpeper County Sheriff, said he would deputize thousands of citizens to allow them to keep their right to arms. It comes following the new “Red Flag” laws and gun restrictions currently in place.
According to American Military News, many bills restricting guns have been proposed to the Virginia General Assembly, and should the General Assembly pass them, it could put vulnerable people in danger.
“America has more guns than citizens, and murder has long been illegal. At best, the proposed gun restrictions will disarm or handicap our law-abiding in their defense and possibly cause a criminal to choose another tool for evil,” Jenkins wrote in the Facebook post.
“I remain very optimistic that our General Assembly will not pass the proposed bills. Obviously, if passed, there are many of us willing to challenge these laws through the courts. In addition, if necessary, I plan to properly screen and deputize thousands of our law-abiding citizens to protect their constitutional right to own firearms,” Jenkins wrote.
According to the Culpeper Star Exponent, Jenkins had made an appearance at the Culpeper Board of Supervisors on Dec. 3 and made his proposal to deputize law-abiding citizens who were gun owners.
“The right to bear arms—some believe that the Second Amendment gives us that right, when in fact it’s a God-given right. If you don’t believe in God, it’s a law of nature that every creature can defend their lives from threats,” Jenkins said, according to Culpeper Star Exponent.
American Military News also reported that Jenkins had criticized the “Red Flag” laws. The New York Times reported that these laws allow “the police to temporarily confiscate firearms from people who are deemed by a judge to be a danger to themselves or to others.”
The outlet reported that it is usually family members who put in the request to have law enforcement to confiscate firearms when the said person has expressed the intent to either harm themselves or someone else. Under these cases, authorities can request an order to confiscate the weapons from these individuals. Also, these individuals would be banned from purchasing further weapons.
It is unknown how long authorities will hold the confiscated firearms. Still, in extreme cases the amount of time could possibly be extended following a court hearing, according to The New York Times.
