It began this spring in far West Texas, when Hudspeth County Commissioners passed a resolution declaring their county a “Second Amendment sanctuary.”

Commissioners in Presidio County soon did the same, approving a document generally considered to lack legal weight, but that sends a political message they hoped would spread:

Don’t mess with our guns.

Already, the movement had taken hold in other parts of the country. It’s a riff on “sanctuary cities,” where local officials don’t cooperate with immigration enforcement.

‘Under threat’: Meet the men behind Presidio County’s pro-gun resolution

Now it has caught on in the Houston area, taking root in at least two suburban counties known for their conservative base and still home to those who take pride in a more self-sufficient, rural way of life.

Commissioners in red Montgomery County approved such a resolution earlier this month. “Let freedom ring ladies and gentlemen,” Commissioner James Metts said.

In Waller County, where a gun rights advocate fought a county policy that banned firearms from the courthouse, commissioners on Tuesday approved their own two-page resolution.

“I think this is a great gesture to show that we as a commissioners court, and a county, stand up for our second amendment rights and support them no matter what,” Commissioner Justin Beckendorff said.

The Waller County resolution states that the county will support the sheriff in not enforcing “any unconstitutional firearms laws, mandates or confiscation actions against any citizen who otherwise has a constitutional right to possess said firearms.”

It also states commissioners “will not authorize or appropriate government funds, resources, employees, agencies, contractors, buildings, detention centers or offices for the purpose of enforcing law that unconstitutionally infringes on the right of people to keep and bear arms.”

Sheriff R. Glenn Smith and the Waller County Republican Party chairman spoke in favor of the resolution, acknowledging that it was largely symbolic, but arguing it still served a purpose.

“By passing this resolution, Waller County will join a movement spreading across not just Texas but the entire country,” said David Luther, the party chair. “This movement is symbolic of the peoples’ concern that a massive government overreach will result in the ultimate suspension of their rights.”

With commissioner John Amsler absent, commissioners passed the resolution 4-0.

Read the full document here:

Note: This story has been updated to reflect the vote by commissioners Tuesday.