Second Amendment sanctuary resolution could be delayed again

A proposed resolution declaring Shawano County a Second Amendment sanctuary could be put off again after four months of delay amid uncertainty over whether the County Board will hold a meeting this month.

County Board Chairman Tom Kautza said he won’t make a final decision until Wednesday when the board agenda would normally be drafted, but due to a light itinerary of county business and summer vacations, this month’s meeting might be called off entirely.

“I may just cancel the meeting entirely due to a lack of items to put on the agenda,” Kautza said.

Meetings have been canceled in the past due to lack of business, most recently in June 2019 under then-chairman Jerry Erdmann.

At last month’s County Board meeting, Kautza announced plans to have the controversial Second Amendment resolution on the board’s July 22 agenda.

There was some discussion about whether the meeting should be held at its normal location at the county courthouse or moved to a place where the anticipated crowd interested in the sanctuary resolution could have room to socially distance.

Health officials continue to discourage large gatherings due to concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

After some discussion, the board’s consensus was to hold the meeting at the courthouse as usual.

Under the proposed resolution, the county would give the sheriff the discretion not to enforce laws considered to be an infringement on the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

The resolution states that the county “shall not appropriate any funds for any enforcement of unconstitutional laws against the people of Shawano County, and requests the Sheriff to utilize his discretion to avoid the unlawful enforcement of any law which unconstitutionally impedes our fundamental Second Amendment right to Keep and Bear Arms.”

Kautza said in an interview last week that he wanted to move forward with the resolution because of the public interest in the matter, even though there is no urgency to the issue.

At present, there is no gun control legislation being discussed at the state or federal level.

“There really is no rush,” Kautza said. “That’s why it’s been put off as long as it’s been. But there’s a group out there that feels this is a major issue. I really don’t see it that way.”

Kautza said that when the issue was first presented months ago he didn’t pay much attention to it.

“I think it’s irrelevant,” he said. “It’s a federal issue, not a county one.”

However, Kautza said, he wanted to honor the wishes of the public safety committee, which unanimously forwarded the measure to the County Board in March.

“As long as public safety thought it was important enough to pass a resolution and send it along to the board, I kind of feel it should have its day in front of the board then,” he said.

tryan@newmedia-wi.com