State laws passed after Parkland massacre prompt counter-reaction; some county officials refuse to enforce them

In New Mexico, Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace has vowed
not to enforce new state gun controls. (Photo by Morgan Lee, AP)

The massacre at a Florida high school a year ago promoted some states to pass new gun controls, and that has prompted a backlash: Some counties in those and other states are refusing to enforce those laws, Stateline reports.

"More than 200 counties across nine states have vowed not to enforce new state measures that restrict gun access, and 132 have declared themselves to be Second Amendment 'sanctuaries,' borrowing a term at the center of the immigration debate," Matt Vasilogambros writes. "For gun rights supporters, it’s a defiant rebuff to state leaders they believe are attacking their communities’ gun heritage and way of life."

Local officials "have not translated their rhetoric into action by, for example, defying a 'red-flag' court order to confiscate guns from a person deemed to be dangerous to himself or others, but there is no doubt the movement is gaining momentum," Vasilogambros reports. "Except for 52 counties in New York and three in Maryland, which acted in 2013 after their states passed new legislation following the Sandy Hook mass shooting, all of the counties have made their declarations since the Parkland [High School] shooting 13 months ago."