Virginia Sanctuary County Gets Offer To Secede from Commonwealth
As tens of thousands of Second Amendments activists are set to march on Richmond next week, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam is facing another staggering loss of control — the possible secession of a pro-gun county.
Frederick County, a Second Amendment sanctuary located on the northern tip of the commonwealth’s border with West Virginia, was formally invited to leave Virginia and join its neighbor by a resolution that passed the West Virginia Senate on Monday.
It appears that it’s not just wishful thinking either, but that this invitation has a serious legal background.
According to the resolution’s sponsor, Republican state Sen. Charles Trump, the offer to join West Virginia has a historical basis that he discovered years ago.
“I learned for the first time during West Virginia’s 150th birthday celebration. As I read through some of the materials from the records — from the convention in 1862 that — there was an expressed invitation to Frederick County,” Trump told West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
“I confess that before that I didn’t know it — and it’s been in the back of my mind for a number of years.”
The resolution now moves to the West Virginia House of Delegates. Ultimately, it would come down to a majority of Frederick County’s citizens voting to secede — as well as the results of any potential court battles.
Fredrick County appears to have more than just shared history with West Virginia.
One thing the county has in common with the Mountain State is respect for the right to bear arms. West Virginia has constitutional carry laws and is generally considered a state that’s friendly to the Second Amendment.
The neighboring Virginia county adopted a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution late last year after sweeping Democratic victories in the commonwealth threatened the gun rights of citizens, according to The Winchester Star.
Gun-grabbers in the commonwealth have openly threatened the use of military force against those who refuse to submit to their firearm control policies.
At least on the issue of firearms, Frederick County is more closely aligned with Charleston than Richmond.
Of course, West Virginia isn’t just a copy of Virginia that happens to be technically north of the commonwealth, but a distinct state with its own unique geography, culture and problems.
The Virginia county would be joining a state plagued by poverty and opioid addiction. Census date compiled by WUSA shows that if Frederick County were to join West Virginia, it would be one of the better-off locations.
According to the data, the county would be West Virginia’s second-richest in terms of median household income and have both the third-lowest unemployment rate and the lowest poverty rate in the entire state.
Besides strengthened Second Amendment protections, it seems as though there’s not much else West Virginia can offer to entice this county to join it.
Although a copy of the resolution has been sent to the Frederick County Board of Supervisors, it appears no official statement has been released by county officials.
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