LAPEER COUNTY, MI -- A mid-Michigan County has officially been named a “Second Amendment Sanctuary.”

The Lapeer County Commission made it official with a 4-2 vote Thursday, Jan 30.

The resolution was originally brought forward by Commissioner Rick Warren at the Thursday, Jan 16. meeting, Vice-Chairman Ian Kempf said. There was open discussion on Jan 23 and a vote was taken Jan. 30.

“The resolution is meant to send a message to Lansing that Lapeer County is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and would not be in favor of additional laws that would impede upon those Second Amendment rights,” Kempf said.

The original proposal’s wording was similar to many resolutions brought to counties across the state, but the Lapeer County Commission added language that defined a “Second Amendment Sanctuary County” as “a place of refuge for the lawful gun owners and citizens under the Second Amendment and the Michigan Constitution.”

Warren and Chairman Gary Roy ultimately voted against the resolution because of the amended language. Roy said he would have voted for the original resolution, but he didn’t like the added word “lawful."

“I’m in support of the original resolution," Roy said during the meeting. "I have been from the beginning but I am against the wording in this particular resolution, which leaves me no choice but to vote against the amended resolution.”

Roy and Warren could not be immediately reached for further comment.

Kempf said he was in support of the added language.

“I certainly believe the overwhelming majority of my constituents are very strong Second Amendment supporters," he said. "At the same time, they’re in favor of Second Amendment rights for lawful or law-abiding citizens so I supported that amendment.”

By passing the resolution to declare the county a Second Amendment Sanctuary, the board affirmed, “its support for the Lapeer County Sheriff and Lapeer County Prosecuting Attorney, in the exercise of their sound direction, to not enforce against any citizen an unconstitutional firearm law,” according to the resolution.

The resolution will not change anything under current Michigan laws but Bill Gavette with the Lapeer County Tea Party said it was encouraging to see county officials take a stand.

“It’s good to see our folks, our county officials, .... reaffirming their commitment to what we’ve already been guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution as far as the right to bear arms and our Michigan Constitution,” Gavette said.

The resolutions in Lapeer and other counties across Michigan are in response to Virginia passing red flag gun laws – which would allow police to confiscate guns from people deemed threats.

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A similar push is popping up in every Michigan county through a Facebook group called “Michigan for 2A Sanctuary Counties,” which was created on Dec. 25 and already has over 91,500 members.

What was happening in Virginia “captivated the country,” said Jeff Fuss, founder of the Facebook group.

“It’s about making sure people’s voices are being heard, not just at the state level, but also at the local level, at the township, at the county level especially so when people in Lansing try to pass whatever laws, they know where the people stand and they know where their bounds are because they have to take their guidance from the people,” Fuss said.

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While the resolution will not change a county’s daily operation under Michigan’s current laws, the movement looks to send a message to lawmakers, Fuss said.

“Some people refer to it as a reaffirmation of faith," he said. "I look at it as just more of a statement from the community on where they stand if things change on the laws that we have today.”

Not everyone is thrilled with the efforts, however.

The recent emergence of “Second Amendment Sanctuary Counties” in Michigan is harmful because the push to pass these resolution “is to undermine normal law and order,” said Carol Sullivan with the the Michigan Great Lakes Bay-region branch of Moms Demand Action, which advocates for common sense gun legislation while still supporting the Second Amendment.

“The good news is, these resolutions are legally meaningless," she said. "The bad news is there’s a whole lot of bad that comes with it. We’re concerned with anything that promotes confusion around issues of firearm laws.”

Specifically, red flag laws have been upheld as constitutional and met the due process guidelines when challenged in court, Sullivan said.

“In America, only the judicial branch can determine the constitutionality of any given law. State and federal legislatures make laws, prosecutors, police and other state and federal officials, they enforce laws but only judges can rule on them. If you’re not a judge and if your argument is that a law is unconstitutional, that is a gun lobby and gun extremist talking point and that’s aimed at spreading misinformation that’s aimed at sparking fear.”

Other counties that have passed similar resolutions include Mackinac, Cheboygan, Otsego, Presque Isle, Oscoda and Kalkaska. Osceola County was most recently added to the list.

The Sanilac County Board of Commissioners has also voted to pass the first reading of a resolution to make the county a Second Amendment sanctuary, according to the Times Herald.