Virginia sheriff says he won’t enforce state’s proposed gun laws if they pass

Among the 22,000 Second Amendment advocates who marched on Virginia’s capitol Monday was a sheriff and his deputies from one of the state’s more rural counties.

In a video that’s circulated online, the sheriff of Grayson County, Va., said his department would not enforce gun-control legislation that recently passed the state’s Senate if it makes it into law.

“If the bills go through as proposed, they will not be enforced — they’re unconstitutional,” Sheriff Richard Vaughan said. “We swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Virginia, and that’s what we’ll do.”

Vaughan was one of thousands of gun enthusiasts who took to Richmond’s streets on Monday, many armed with rifles as they protested.

The bills that sparked the rally would, if passed, place further limitations on military-style firearms, limit the frequency of handgun purchases to once a month and allow law enforcement to confiscate weapons from citizens they deem a potential threat.

The bills have passed the state’s Senate but not its House.

Grayson County, like hundreds of localities throughout Virginia, declared itself a “second-amendment sanctuary.” Many experts say, however, that sanctuary resolutions are largely symbolic and not legally binding.

Vaughan doubled down on his comments during an interview with Fox News on Monday night.

“We took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Virginia," he said, “and that’s what we’re gonna do."