Linn County, OR – Sheriff Tim Mueller sent a letter to Vice President Joe Biden stating his office will not enforce and new gun laws that do not meet Constitutional muster. The Oregon sheriff is not the first county law enforcement officer in America to take such a bold stand for Second Amendment rights.
Sheriff Mueller’s letter to Joe Biden stated that politicians are “attempting to exploit the deaths of innocent victims” by initiating laws that would cause harm to law-abiding Americans, according to letter excerpts published by Fox News .
The Linn County chief law enforcement official also noted that he took an oath to support the Constitution and feels that a semi-automatic weapons ban and high-capacity magazine clip restrictions would violate the rights of the citizens he is mandated to protect.
Sheriff Tim Mueller’s letter to Joe Biden reads:
“We are Americans. We must not allow, nor shall we tolerate, the actions of criminals, no matter how heinous the crimes, to prompt politicians to enact laws that will infringe upon the liberties of responsible citizens who have broken no laws.”
During a phone interview with the Associated Press, the Oregon sheriff shared how he felt compelled to make his feelings known. The Linn County sheriff also noted that sheriffs have not really had a voice in Vice President Joe Biden’s gun violence task force. According to Sheriff Mueller’s statements, his constituents have repeatedly asked his deputies what will occur if President Barack Obama mandates new gun control restrictions.
When asked about the national attention his letter generated, Sheriff Mueller told OregonLive that the experience has been humbling. After the missive to Vice President Joe Biden was posted on the Linn County Sheriff’s Facebook page, the letter supporting Second Amendment letter went viral.
The Oregon sheriff also remarked that he and his peers are unable to enforce federal laws, and used immigration statutes as an example. Taking the already present federal enforcement inability into consideration, Mueller believes that it is unreasonable for folks to think that he would enforce a federal firearms law.
Do you think a county sheriff should be mandated to enforce one federal law but not allowed to arrest criminals who violate other statutes such as immigration?
