Resolutions seem to promote lawlessness toward gun control

What’s a sure fire way to know it’s an election year?
When the gun industry and its lobbyists (lawmakers?) convince voters they’re coming to take your guns away.
That they, of course, is the federal government and in the most recent instance, a state government.
Last week, Virginia’s General Assembly passed several different gun control laws, none of which will stop anyone from hunting. What this package of gun laws does, includes:
Implementing universal background checks for all gun sales, with exceptions to immediate family members, antique firearms and others.
Limiting sales to one handgun a month — 12 a year.
And creating an extreme risk protection (red flag) order.
The new majority also has banned guns in the Capitol and lawmakers’ offices — until last month, concealed carry permit holders could bring their guns inside and lobbyists and staffers with credentials were permitted to bypass the metal detectors.
Not surprisingly, many rural counties have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries, a movement that began after voters handed control of Virginia’s legislature to Democrats.
To date, seven counties in West Virginia have also declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries, including Preston County, and a couple of municipalities.
Setting aside the symbolism these resolutions embody, they do not supersede state and federal law. Period.
Some public officials who are running in this year’s elections will still want to cast their image as champions of the Second Amendment. That’s all right, but these resolutions are just that — resolutions — symbolic gestures with no teeth.
But it’s far-fetched to ever think that one day gun owners in West Virginia will ever need to sweat giving up their firearms. Indeed our Legislature has only expanded the scope of firearms in recent years. Two laws’ passage in particular stand out — allowing concealed carry without a permit and the “parking lot” bill that lets employees bring guns to work as long as the guns remain in their vehicle.
However, it has yet to end the ban on them in the state Capitol for some reason.
Still, these resolutions appear to almost thumb their noses at the law of the land making them worrisome.
They may make some think they are above the law. True, the president apparently is but that concept still doesn’t extend to the rest of us. None of us has the right to pick and choose which laws we obey and the ones we don’t without consequences.
We find it a little distressing for public officials to signal that they can serve the law a la carte rather than as a package. These resolutions seemingly promote lawlessness and who or what’s to say they’ll end with gun control measures.
To that end, we urge the Monongalia County Commission and local municipalities to shoot down such resolutions.