Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
PENN FOREST TWP., Pa. - A national movement aimed at protecting residents' gun rights has made its way to our area.A Penn Forest Township resident is on a one-man mission to convince leaders in Carbon County to designate every municipality as a Second Amendment sanctuary.
Brandon Bell is a U.S. Marine Corp veteran and Second Amendment champion.
He's concerned about two pieces of proposed federal legislation: one he says prohibits the possession of certain ammunition, and another allows officers to visit gun-owners' homes to confirm a firearm is properly secured.
Bell says both violate the Second Amendment.
"They kind of contradict the Constitution in the sense that they nit-pick and they go after specific articles of the Second Amendment,” Bell said.
Bell recently started a Change.org petition requesting Carbon County's commissioners designate it a Second Amendment sanctuary.
He wants each of the 22 municipalities to adopt an ordinance that would reject those federal gun laws if they're passed.
"This doesn't stop you from being prosecuted if you commit a crime. All this does is protect you as a gun owner,” Bell said.
In January, Bowmanstown adopted a resolution declaring it a sanctuary.
And on Thursday night, Palmerton Borough Council voted 5 to 2 to adopt a resolution but stopped short of passing an ordinance.
"There's a few individuals on council who weren't really thrilled with the idea as a whole,” Bell said.
While Bell wants leaders in the nearly two dozen municipalities across Carbon County designate them as Second Amendment sanctuaries, not everyone is on board.
"We feel that these ordinances are unconstitutional and unenforceable,” Max Milkman, lead organizer with CeasefirePA, said.
Milkman says the organization wants to strengthen gun laws across the Commonwealth.
"They are just symbolic measures that put public safety at risk. We should have our local governments who are working on protecting citizens from gun violence instead of making it harder and more confusing for law enforcement to do their job,” Milkman said.