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Mohave County Supervisors Declare ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary’

Mohave County

The Mohave County Board of Supervisors Monday declared the county a Second Amendment sanctuary. It’s the first Arizona jurisdiction to pass such a measure. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports.

The non-binding resolution was passed unanimously. It says board members won’t authorize money, resources or employees in defense of laws it sees as unconstitutionally infringing on peoples’ right to bear arms.

The board says it’s necessary because of what they see as gun control laws gaining traction across the U.S. Mohave County Sheriff Doug Schuster, Republican Congressman Paul Gosar and others spoke in favor of it.

Dozens of other conservative-leaning counties, towns, cities and even four states have passed similar initiatives in recent years.

National gun violence prevention groups, however, say second amendment sanctuary resolutions actually put the public in danger. The Giffords Law Center released a study earlier this year showing many counties that have passed measures restricting gun safety laws, have firearm suicide rates above national and state averages.

Ryan Heinsius joined KNAU's newsroom as an executive producer in 2013 and became news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.
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