The Denton County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution presented by the sheriff to make the county a “Bill of Rights Protected County” in a public declaration of support of the Second Amendment and other rights deemed “under attack.”
A few residents spoke in the Commissioners Court meeting, each in opposition to the proposed resolution, citing nationwide support of some gun control laws — such as universal background checks — and the dangers of gun violence. After the resolution was adopted, Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree wrote in a Facebook post that as “a strong advocate of the Second Amendment,” he wanted to publicly support the right to bear arms in case of possible future restrictions.
“As long as I am your Sheriff, neither I nor anyone working for me will participate in any gun confiscation, registration or mandatory government buy-back,” Murphree wrote.
A Denton news media report last week said Murphree was working on making Denton County a “Second Amendment Sanctuary County.” But Murphree wanted to expand the resolution from being just about the Second Amendment to other rights he believes are under attack — including the freedom of speech, religion and right to due process — so the resolution was expanded to include the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
“I believe that our forefathers, in the First Amendment, put in the basic rights that every individual should have, and the Second Amendment shows how we keep them,” Murphree said during the meeting.
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