Editor:

On Tuesday, Dec. 17, I attended the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisor’s special meeting “to consider” a proposed resolution to declare Prince Edward a Second Amendment sanctuary county and found the meeting to be not only hostile for those of us who spoke against the sanctuary resolution but also a fait acompli.

Jim Wilck, the board chairman who conducted the meeting, did not stop the supporters of the sanctuary resolution from shouting down anyone who spoke against it. Consequently, those of us who expressed our opposition were heckled, insulted and treated disrespectfully while those who spoke in favor of the proposal received standing ovations. Ironically, those who support the Second Amendment and the Constitution seem to forget that citizens should also be afforded First Amendment rights as well.

According to an article in Slate.com by David Toscano on Dec. 11, this sanctuary proposal has been driven by the Virginia Citizens Defense League and the NRA to undermine the reasonable gun legislation. Even Patti Cooper-Jones admitted during the meeting that she had received calls from Washington state urging passage of this sanctuary proposal. The NRA has used social networking, contacts with local hunt clubs, and email conversations with state sheriffs’ associations to push the proposal in Virginia according to Reuters. The bills that the governor has proposed are very moderate in addressing gun violence and do not even infringe on Second Amendment rights.

Perhaps, even more disturbing than the immature behavior of those who supported the sanctuary proposal, was the board’s decision to hold a “vote” on the two proposals that were introduced at the meeting. Only one proposal was read aloud and it was not the one that passed. Wouldn’t it have made much more sense to have a discussion of the pros and cons of the sanctuary proposal and place it on a ballot to be voted on by all members of our community? It’s time to hold our local officials responsible to uphold the laws, so we can have safe sanctuary for our children rather than for just our guns.

Chapman Hood Frazier,

Rice