Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell and nearly 80 others across the State say they will not enforce State's new gun registry. Sheriff Campell released the statement below on Thursday, refusing to enforce parts of the State's new gun ban.
Citizens of Sangamon County, I wanted to update you on the recent passage of HB5471, also known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act. As your duly elected Sheriff my job and my office are sworn, in fact, to protect the citizens of Sangamon County. This is a job and responsibility that I take with the utmost seriousness.
Part of my duties that I accepted upon being sworn into office was to protect the rights provided to all of us, in the Constitution. One of those enumerated rights is the right of the people to keep and bear arms provided under the 2nd Amendment.
The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people.
I, among many others, believe that HB5471 is a clear violation of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution. Therefore, as the custodian of the jail and chief law enforcement official for Sangamon County, that neither myself nor my office will be proactively checking to ensure that lawful gun owners register their weapons with the State, nor will we be arresting or housing law abiding individuals that have been arrested solely with non-compliance of this Act, without a warrant, court order or exigent circumstances that deems that person a threat to our safety.