Five Illinois counties have now declared themselves to be “sanctuary counties” for gun owners, and 20 more counties in the state are considering the same move.

The push for “sanctuary” status is intended to send a message to the Democrat-controlled state legislature, which has considered numerous gun control laws again this session.

Fox News reports the declaration of “sanctuary county” indicates employees of that respective county will be instructed to ignore new gun control laws rather than enforce them.

Breitbart News reported that Effingham County was one of the first to proclaim its “sanctuary” status. Effingham County Board vice chairman David Campbell told Fox News, “It’s a buzzword, a word that really gets attention. With all these sanctuary cities, we just decided to turn it around to protect our Second Amendment rights.”

Campbell indicated that 20 other Illinois counties have asked to see Effingham County’s “sanctuary” declaration as they consider whether to follow with similar declarations.

State Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-77) criticized the idea of a “sanctuary county” for gun owners. She said, “I don’t think you can say, ‘I don’t agree with the law so I won’t enforce it.'” Adding, “I think it sends the wrong message.”

But Effingham County prosecutor Bryan Kibler countered Willis by suggesting Chicago has been choosing which immigration laws it will or will not enforce for years.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.