That resolution and others like it were often adopted after swarms of gun-rights advocates jammed meeting rooms of local boards of supervisors. Some politicians may have played to the crowds without giving the measures a great deal of thought. Now would be a good time to reflect. The red-flag laws, like other gun-safety measures heading toward enactment in Virginia’s legislature, enjoy broad popular support, according to numerous polls. But whether they are popular or not, statewide or locally, is not relevant to a sheriff’s obligation to follow and enforce the law.