The purpose of the resolution, written by Riley, is to maintain citizens’ ability to keep and bear arms without the threat of adverse legal ramifications, according to the release.
“The people of Montgomery County, Texas, through their duly elected Commissioners Court and their sheriff, resolve that Montgomery County, Texas, is hereby designated a ‘Gun Sanctuary County’ in order to preserve for the people of, on and in Montgomery County, Texas,” the resolution reads. “Montgomery County, Texas, acknowledges the responsibility of allowing the residents the right to keep and bear arms by declaring itself to be a ‘Gun Sanctuary County’.”
With the adoption of the resolution, Montgomery County would be the largest county by population to become a sanctuary county in Texas, according to the release, and join 11 sanctuary cities in the state. Across the U.S., more than 200 counties have declared themselves to be gun sanctuary counties, according to the release.
“Moreover, the criminal misuse of firearms is due to the fact that criminals do not obey laws, and this is not a reason to abrogate or abridge the unalienable, constitutionally guaranteed rights of law abiding citizens,” the resolution reads. “The last protectors of the U.S. Constitution are we, the people of the United States, and our ability to fulfill that role successfully rests on our Second Amendment rights.”
The resolution excludes some individuals, such as those who have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, for whom possession of a firearm is an offense in itself, according to the resolution.
Additionally, the resolution states Montgomery County will not authorize or devote government funds, resources, employees or buildings for the purpose of enforcing orders infringing on Second Amendment rights.
“We do not want to waste the resources of any law enforcement entity by allowing them to be put in the position of possibly needing to collect and account for any and all firearms that are in the limits of Montgomery County,” Riley said in the release. “The county won’t use any of its resources to enforce unconstitutional gun laws.”
Read the full resolution below, or view the meeting agenda packet here. Commissioners Court meets at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 19 at 501 N. Thompson St., Conroe.
