West Milford is now a self-proclaimed “sanctuary township" for law-abiding gun owners, though the provocative designation is purely symbolic.

The township council approved last week a non-binding resolution that "opposes further interference with, or abridging of, the rights of lawful gun owners.”

West Milford Council President Pete McGuinness said the local resolution, introduced by another council member and approved in a 5-0 vote on Dec. 4, was modeled after a resolution adopted in Illinois. It appears to be the first of its kind in New Jersey.

“We’re just letting the community know we are a gun-friendly, Second Amendment-positive township,” McGuinness said.

The mostly-rural town in Passaic County is home to 26,000 people and covers nearly 76 square miles.

The resolution declares West Milford a “Second Amendment/lawful gun owner sanctuary township" and criticizes “red flag laws” that have been adopted by at least 17 states, including New Jersey, partly in response to mass shootings.

The approval of the non-binding resolution came six days before a deadly shooting spree in Jersey City killed four people, including a Jersey City police officer and three inside a grocery store.

Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday night cited the shootings in reiterating his call for federal legislation to lessen gun violence. The two suspects, both of whom were killed after a three-hour standoff with police, brought four guns into the store and had one in a van parked across the street.

New Jersey has the nation’s second-toughest gun laws, according to the Giffords Law Center, and the state’s red flag law — aimed at removing weapons from those deemed a threat to themselves or others — took effect in September.

“We will not achieve what we need to achieve in the absence of federal legislation that the president would sign. We desperately need federal, national legislation for gun safety,” Murphy said in response to a caller on his Ask the Governor radio program.

Scott Bach, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, told NJ Advance Media that the Jersey City shootings do not justify further restrictions on guns.

“No amount of restrictions on law-abiding citizens is going to affect criminal behavior,” Bach said.

The West Milford resolution, which Bach said appears to be the first of its kind adopted in New Jersey, resembles pro-gun resolutions that have been approved by county and local jurisdictions in several other states this year.

Nearly half of the counties in Virginia have adopted resolutions declaring themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries,” according to CNN. The use of “sanctuary” is a play on jurisdictions using the same term to express support for undocumented immigrants in their communities.

West Milford’s resolution is drawing a rebuttal from a prominent, Washington-based advocacy group working to reduce gun violence.

“A town council cannot nullify or ignore state public safety laws," Josh Scharff, attorney for Brady — formerly the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence — said via an email from the organization’s spokesperson.

“New Jersey citizens have elected their state legislators and their governor who have passed laws that are proven to keep New Jersey citizens safe and to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them. It is dangerous for a local government to falsely imply that their townships are above the law,” Scharff stated.

McGuinness, though, said the resolution is “harmless,” noting that it does not overturn any laws.

It states that West Milford “supports the rights of lawful gun owners to lawfully use firearms; to defend themselves, their loved ones and other innocents; to lawfully hunt to provide sustenance for their families; and to lawfully participate in shooting sports up to and including Olympic sports.”

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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