Lynchburg City Council shoots down sanctuary city, denies motion to become a Second Amendment Sanctuary

Lynchburg was the most recent city in Virginia to consider becoming a Second Amendment Sanctuary City, as the City Council met Tuesday, Jan. 14, to vote on the matter. At the end of a six-hour city public hearing, Lynchburg City Council voted 5-2 against becoming a Second Amendment sanctuary, according to WSET. 

In response to the recent proposals by the Virginia state government to have stricter laws on gun control, 23 out of 67 counties in Virginia have voted and adopted the Second Amendment Sanctuary City resolution. Since taking control of both legislative bodies and the executive branch of state government, Democrats push their efforts of limiting handgun purchases to one per month and writing red flag laws that many people argue denies the constitutional right of due process. 

Around 1,000 people attended the public hearing hosted at E.C. Glass High School as deliberation began at 7:30 p.m. and extended into the early hours of the morning. About 150 people voiced their opinions before the City Council voted on the resolution. 

“I am going to make the decisions I believe will prosper our city and residents, listening to the perspectives of others,” Mayor Treney Tweedy said of her decision to vote against the motion, per WSET.

The polarizing discussion brought out the passion of Lynchburg’s residents, as Tweedy had to restore order on multiple occasions. Some argued that the motion was an overreaction, as everyday gun owners’ rights are not at stake, while others claimed their right to self-defense
was in jeopardy.

“(The motion) is really a symbol that represents the values of this area and unfortunately we were not able to get that passed,” Councilman Turner Perrow said per WSET. “I am going to try to keep promoting the values of this area.” 


Craft is the asst. news editor. Follow his work over on Twitter.

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