DESOTO COUNTY, Miss. — DeSoto County is now a Second Amendment “safe haven,” the first Mississippi county to make such a declaration.
Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of a resolution Tuesday, after the language was amended to change “sanctuary” to “safe haven.”
Mississippi Rep. Dana Criswell, who presented a petition to the Desoto County Board of Supervisors asking for a vote on the resolution, said safe haven essentially means the same as sanctuary.
Criswell said several constituents came to him expressing concern after some counties in Virginia approved Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions in response to gun control measures in that state that some gun-rights advocates feel are unconstitutional.
He said Mississippi’s legislature is not considering similar gun-control measures, but that residents wanted to get ahead of the issue.
“We just want to draw a line in the sand and say we’re never going to enforce something like this,” Criswell said.
Criswell also said that we may soon see a similar effort in Alcorn County, and some efforts are underway in cities. He said he has put forth legislation that would apply statewide.