By Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Troutville Town Council voted unanimously last Tuesday to become a Second Amendment sanctuary.
The official title of the resolution was named, “A resolution affirming the constitutions of the United States and Virginia and declaring the Town of Troutville a Second Amendment sanctuary.”
Troutville Mayor David Horton said that he was approached by two members of the Town Council who expressed an interest in placing a Second Amendment sanctuary before the council for a vote.
“We haven’t had a bit of a problem. I’ve told a lot of people about it and they’re happy we did it,” Horton said of the unanimous approval of the resolution. “I’m glad we’ve got it now. Hopefully it will help, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
The resolution noted that the town has no legislative, regulatory, or enforcement authority related to the purchase, possession, transfer, ownership, carrying, storage, or transportation of firearms, or ammunition, but expressed that the council was “introduced legislation for the 2020 Virginia General Assembly, if passed, could infringe upon rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution” and the Virginia Constitution.
Additionally, the resolution stated, “The Town Council urges the Virginia General Assembly, the United States Congress, and other agencies of state and federal government to vigilantly preserve and protect those rights by rejecting any provision, law, or regulation that may infringe, have the tendency to infringe, or place any additional burdens on the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.”
As part of the resolution, town staff will forward a copy of it to the county’s elected representatives in the Virginia General Assembly the United States Congress and to the governor of Virginia.
Botetourt County voted to become a Second Amendment sanctuary last November.
