With the new Biden administration promising to take executive action to tackle ‘gun violence’ at the federal level, and some states doing the same, many local jurisdictions are taking their own actions to protect their citizens’ constitutional right to bear arms. As such, the Second Amendment sanctuary movement has been growing throughout the country, with hundreds of counties passing declarations protecting gun rights from overreaching state governments, as well as Uncle Sam.

But now, a county in the ‘Show Me’ state of Missouri has taken this idea to a new level, criminalizing any federal enforcement of unconstitutional efforts to violate gun rights.

As The Blaze notes:

The sanctuary movement has only recently come to the state of Missouri, with several counties recently declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries and the state legislature pushing similar bills. But Newton County might have adopted the strongest language in the entire country – going so far as to criminalize enforcement or cooperation with federal law enforcement who seek to enforce such policies.

Newton County passed an ordinance this month to invalidate any attempt by the federal government, including by Congress or the executive branch, to infringe on the Second Amendment rights of its citizens.

The Blaze reports that the Second Amendment Preservation Act of Newton County, Missouri, states:

Be it enacted by the Newton County Missouri Commission as follows: All federal acts, laws, orders, rules and regulations passed by the Federal government and specifically any Presidential Administration whether past, present or future, which infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States and Article 1, Section 23 of the Missouri Constitution shall be invalid in the county, shall not be recognized by this county, and specifically rejected by this county, and shall be considered null and void and of no effect in this county.

Such acts, laws, orders, rules and regulations include but are not limited to any tax levy, fee, or stamp imposed on firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition not common to all other goods and services … any registration or tracking of firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition … any act ordering the confiscation of firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition … and finally, any act, whether past, present or future passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by the Federal Government and specifically any Presidential Administration which infringes on the people’s right to keep and bear arms in Newton County, Missouri shall be considered null and void by the county and not recognized by this county.

The Newton County ordinance also adds: “Any and all federal agents trying to enforce the regulations listed in Section (1) shall be subject to arrest by the Sheriff’s department.”

Paul Crespo

Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Defense News. A defense and national security expert, he served as a Marine Corps officer and as a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at US embassies worldwide. Paul holds degrees from Georgetown, London, and Cambridge Universities. He is also CEO of SPECTRE Global Risk, a security advisory firm, and President of the Center for American Defense Studies, a national security think tank.