Hillsdale County Sheriff Stan Burchardt is reserving judgment on the recent outcry by a group of American sheriffs against President Barack Obama’s suggested gun control policies.
“I think they are awful premature,” he said. “I want to wait to see what the final product is.”
The debate over potential gun control policies broke into the land of law enforcement when several sheriffs throughout the country declared that they would not enforce gun laws that they believed to be unconstitutional.
Burchardt took a different approach to the situation.
“There’s something like 200 of these sheriffs saying this stuff. We’re the other 3,000,” Burchardt said. “I’m for guns. I’m for the Second [Amendment]. It’s our right. I’ve got no problem with people owning assault weapons. My concern is, ‘Are they stable?’”
Burchardt said that there are aspects of the proposals put forth by the Obama administration that he likes and some that he doesn’t. One aspect of the proposals put forth that Burchardt supports is the provision for sharing information between federal agencies for background checks.
“You can commit attempted murder or murder as a juvenile, and the records are sealed,” Burchardt said. “You can move up here, buy a gun, and get a Concealed Pistol License. All you have to do is lie on your application. There’s no way to check that out.”
Despite the flaws in the system, Burchardt recognizes that there are benefits provided by the Second Amendment.
“There are those who take part in sporting events and self-protection,” he said. “We live in a hostile society. The police aren’t enough.”
According to the Texas-based Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, 269 county sheriffs have declared that they will not enforce unconstitutional firearms legislation. A 2010 survey by the National Sheriffs’ Association listed a total of 3,083 sheriffs in the United States.
John Hanlin, sheriff of Douglas County, Oregon, is one of the growing number of law enforcement officers who have pledged not to enforce unconstitutional firearms laws. In January, Hanlin wrote a letter to Vice President Joe Biden, detailing his reasons for not complying with any unconstitutional gun control measure that would be issued by the Obama administration.
“The United States Supreme Court has ruled that when a Sheriff chooses to enforce an unconstitutional directive, he is violating his Constitutional Oath. I will NOT violate my Constitutional Oath,” Hanlin said in his letter to Biden.
“One of our duties is to protect, preserve, and uphold the right to bear arms,” Hanlin said. “Otherwise, the First Amendment might be at risk. I’m voicing attention to protect and preserve the Constitution.”
Hanlin also said that his motivation for writing the letter came from a desire to calm fears in his own county and to protect his officers from retaliation by anyone who might fear a potential “gun collection day.”
As far as any potential gun legislation is concerned, Burchardt believes that the best course of action is to wait and see.
“I’m just going to let everything settle down and see what happens. I’ve been around long enough to know you just have to have patience.”