Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution proposed by Sarasota County commissioner

SARASOTA, Fla. - Sarasota County could declare itself a Second Amendment Sanctuary.

Commissioner Christian Ziegler submitted the resolution, which will be considered at the commission’s Nov. 19 meeting. Lake County was the first in Florida to pass a Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution, which received a unanimous vote this week.

Ziegler’s resolution is a word-for-word reproduction of the Lake County resolution, which lists several rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, upholding various parts of the Second Amendment.

“So it basically is putting everyone on notice that we are pro-second amendment in Sarasota County, we support the second amendment, and we’re proactively making that statement and making it clear to the citizens,” Ziegler told FOX 13 News. “All it’s doing is quoting existing law, quoting existing Supreme Court cases and the Constitution, but I think it’s a good reminder for the community, but specifically for those that want to eliminate the second amendment.”

The resolutions also add a reminder of the Fourteenth Amendment, which says states, in part, cannot “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

Florida law allows officers to temporarily confiscate a person’s firearms if a judge grants a risk protection order based on evidence they may be a risk to themselves or others. However, it's not clear if Ziegler's resolution is meant to address the so-called red flag laws, which were put into place in the state after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last Valentine’s Day.

In reality, a resolution doesn’t have any teeth. It doesn’t change any current laws or shield people who are breaking the law. It’s simply officially putting an opinion on the record.

The resolutions also list Article I, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution, which states “the right of the people to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and of the lawful authority of the state shall not be infringed, except that the manner of bearing arms may be regulated by law.”

Similar declarations are popping up across the U.S. In other localities, the adopted measures proclaim protections for gun rights.