Kordus: Resolution’s intent being misconstrued

SHAWANO — The Second Amendment sanctuary resolution Shawano County has been debating was put on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak, but Corporation Counsel Tony Kordus spoke out during Wednesday’s Shawano County Board meeting about what he believes the public is misunderstanding about the resolution’s intent.

“I know there’s a lot of information about that’s being misconstrued and some uncertainty about it,” Kordus said.

He noted that the main intent of the resolution is about showing the county’s support for the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and that “it’s alive and well.” The resolution is a way to let the Wisconsin Legislature and the U.S. Congress know that the county does not support any future laws they make regarding firearms that fly in the face of the amendment.

“You might think, why do we need to do that? We already have a Second Amendment,” Kordus said. “When you see things coming down the pike, it’s good to make a resolution that lets people know exactly what’s on the County Board’s mind.”

That makes the proposed resolution advisory in nature, he said. It would not have the same rule of law applied like the emergency declaration for the coronavirus pandemic passed by the board earlier in the day, and it would not give Sheriff Adam Bieber the power to ignore current laws about firearms.

“What it is not is a law that gives the sheriff some prerogative to not follow existing laws,” Kordus said. “I’ve already talked to the sheriff and he is not planning on violating Wisconsin statutes that state you are prohibited from holding a firearm if you are a felon, if you have pleaded to a crime based on mental defect or an ordinance that says you can’t hold a firearm for any other resolution. All those laws still exist, so there shouldn’t be any panic on that.”

Kordus noted that, because the sheriff is an elected position, the County Board has no control over him, nor does he have any power over the board.

“Even if we wanted to pass something that told the sheriff what to do, we couldn’t,” he said.

If higher governing bodies opt to pass future laws, including red flag laws, Kordus said the resolution lets them know that any laws infringing on the right to bear arms will not be supported by the county because it stands by the Second Amendment.

“This lets everybody know that the Second Amendment here in Shawano County is sacred, and we want it to be honored by those who pass laws at the state and federal law,” Kordus said.

Supervisor Joe Miller said he understands that the resolution expresses the board’s collective point of view but did not understand why it needs to be limited to the Second Amendment.

“If that’s the case, why don’t we say all of the Constitution, instead of limiting it to one amendment?” Miller said.

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com