ST. CLAIR COUNTY – One by one, Illinois counties outside Chicago and Cook County continue to express their devotion to the Second Amendment by passing a Firearms Sanctuary Resolution. When unsuccessful in passing the resolution in a county where officials lean towards gun control over gun rights, firearm defense proponents are finding alternative ways to promote their cause.
The Illinois movement has grown so much that the number of counties declaring their intention to protect Second Amendment rights against state mandates now by far outnumbers the counties that refuse to commit to protecting the right to keep and bear arms.
This week, St. Clair Township's governing board in St. Clair County passed the resolution with a 3 to 1 (abstained) vote. St. Clair Township joins O'Fallon Township of the same county.
The resolution originator, Dave Campbell of the Effingham County Board, applauded the strategy being pushed through by St. Clair County's Dane Harrel.
"Since St. Clair County in Illinois has proven to be difficult to get them to pass a Firearms Sanctuary Resolution, my good friend and patriot Dane Harrel from St. Clair County went to work on the townships within St. Clair County, Campbell told Illinois Review. "Just within the past 10 days he has been successful in getting two townships to pass the Firearms Sanctuary resolutions.
"It just goes to show you if a person has enough determination he or she can achieve what they set out to do, even if it means doing it one township, city or village at a time," Campbell said.
The Gun Rights Watch group has put together a map showing the Illinois counties that have agreed to protect firearm rights in their jurisdictions, and in some cases, they are declaring their intention to ignore state laws that supercede Constitutional protections.
