STAUNTON — The city of Staunton will not be a Second Amendment sanctuary, nor will its city council conduct a public hearing on the issue despite one councilwoman's multiple attempts.

For the first time on Thursday, the topic was on council's work session agenda, and Councilwoman Andrea Oakes tried to convince council to hold a public hearing. But the other six council members agreed: Enough was enough.

"We've had two very full matters from the public sessions and innumerable letters and phone calls," Councilman Jim Harrington said. "So I don't see the point of it."

Oakes reiterated several times that she was simply asking for a public hearing so residents could be heard, not yet a final vote.

"I'm simply asking for the city council to permit a publicized public hearing in which the citizens will have an on-the-record voice, which will then open the door for us, as a city council, to have a discussion and a vote on a citizen-driven resolution," she said.

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At the end of the discussion, Mayor Carolyn Dull pointed out that almost everyone had shared their opinion.

"Everyone has a position but one on this podium," Dull said, pointedly turning toward Oakes.

"My position is the position of the people, the people that I serve," Oakes said. "It is the will of the people, not the will of the council."

Throughout the 30-minute discussion, the other six council members shared why they thought a public hearing was unnecessary and why they didn't agree with becoming a sanctuary city.

Harrington said it was important to follow the framework the Founding Fathers created: Residents should meet with legislators to discuss bills they disagree with and go through the judicial branch if they believe laws to be unconstitutional. In the meantime, he said, it was important to follow the law.

Harrington and Councilman Erik Curren both thanked people for attending meetings to share their opinions.

"It's very rare that at Staunton City Council we have many people talking about anything that they care about with so much heart. ... It really reinforced my confidence in our citizens," Curren said. "There are caring, intelligent, civic-minded people in Staunton."

Vice Mayor Ophie Kier said the Second Amendment stands on its own, as do all of the amendments.

"My oath of office says that I will stand and protect the Constitution of the United States," he said. "I won't waver from it. And it takes care of itself, just like the Thirteenth Amendment, just like the Twenty-third Amendment."

Kier added that the city didn't take action a couple years ago on a request to make Staunton a sanctuary city for immigrants, either.

Council members also voted 4–3 to bar the topic from appearing again on the agenda unless a majority of council explicitly votes to add it. Councilman Terry Holmes, Kier and Oakes voted against the motion made by Councilwoman Brenda Mead.

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What do people want?

Though the topic has not officially appeared on the agenda before, people flooded city hall twice to speak about the topic during the general public comment period.

Some speakers have stated that city council needed to pass a sanctuary resolution because it's what a majority of the city wants.

"As you could tell Thursday evening, that majority of Staunton is PRO guns and PRO second amendment and frankly, PRO constitution of the USA," one Staunton resident wrote in a December email to city council members.

But it's not so clear what the majority of Staunton actually thinks; there are about 24,900 people in Staunton, and only a fraction have turned out to public meetings. While the first public meeting in mid-December had more speak in favor of a resolution — and a much larger turnout — the second meeting in early January had more speak in opposition.

Council members have been bombarded with emails, letters and calls. Through an open records request, the News Leader obtained emails sent to council members' city email accounts to better understand what people have been saying out of the public spotlight.

Tallying up views expressed either through public comments or emails, no clear majority has emerged. It's also unclear how many who have spoken out live inside city limits.

Out of about 200 emails and letters, a bulk were duplicates sent to multiple city officials. About 60% of the unique emails and letters expressed opposition to a resolution.

In emails, at least two people explicitly stated they didn't want to speak in public. One person said they did not feel safe attending "where there will surely be impassioned feelings and possibly people that feel it necessary to defend themselves and their honor by carrying deadly weapons."

Here's what some people wrote, either for or against the idea:

"The notion that all laws restricting the 'right to bear and carry arms' are somehow unconstitutional has been rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. Little 'supreme courts' throughout the land would be well advised to follow the law, not their own whims."

"There may be a wave of counties and cities across The Commonwealth who have voted in the affirmative on this issue, but it is our desire to follow the lead of our state elected officials, and the laws that are drafted in Richmond in both upholding the Constitution and, if need be, imposing restrictions on certain guns and gun related items."

One man who said he was in favor of a sanctuary resolution also shared his gratitude for the polite, civil people who talked at the meetings despite differing views. "That gives me a lot of hope for the future," he wrote.

"Put away your personal desires and follow the citizens who elected you," a retired Navy veteran wrote. "Now listen to what I have to say. LEAVE MY GUNS ALONE."

"If the second amendment is taken away or infringed, the first and others come next," wrote one woman, who identified herself as a single mom. "Please hear our voices. Firearms keep us ladies on an even playing field."

Please share questions, comments and story ideas. Email me at cmitzel@newsleader.com or follow me on Twitter @c_mitzel.