Maricopa County Declares Itself 'Sanctuary' For Gun Rights

Published: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - 1:26pm
Updated: Wednesday, February 26, 2020 - 1:46pm

Maricopa County became the fourth county in Arizona to declare itself a “sanctuary” for gun rights.

The county Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Wednesday in favor of a resolution that declares the county’s support for the Second Amendment. The resolution also pledges that county resources won’t be used to infringe on people’s Second Amendment rights. 

The resolution is nearly identical to resolutions adopted by leaders in La Paz, Yavapai and Mohave counties, who’ve all affirmed their counties as “sanctuaries” for Second Amendment rights. Supporters and opponents of those resolution agree they have little, if any, real legal effect.

The resolution adopted by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors differs in one way: It doesn’t use the word “sanctuary.”

Instead, the resolution declares Maricopa County a “Second Amendment Preservation County.”

The vote came less than a week after Gov. Doug Ducey and GOP leaders at the state Legislature shelved a ballot measure asking Arizona voters to outlaw so-called sanctuary cities in the Arizona Constitution.