JASPER COUNTY, Iowa — Jasper County is now officially Iowa's first Second Amendment sanctuary.
The decision had mixed reviews from the public.
"If the state of Iowa passes a law that Jasper County believes is unconstitutional, then we can take this action," a county resident, speaking against the resolution, said during the board meeting.
"I think we need to do it pre-emptively. It's being discussed and we all know it's being discussed," another county resident, speaking in favor of the resolution, said during the board meeting.
The Jasper County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution Tuesday morning that says Jasper County employees can't enforce state or federal laws that infringe on a person's Second Amendment rights.
The resolution only applies to future laws, not existing ones.
Todd Pettys, a law professor at the University of Iowa, said he believes county governments can refuse to enforce federal law, but they may not be able to refuse to enforce state law.
"When states are looking at the federal government saying, 'We don't want to help you,' that's one sovereign looking at a separate sovereign saying, 'I don't want to help you accomplish your goals,'" Pettys said. "That's not the structure when it comes to counties looking at Des Moines, looking at the state legislature. Counties exist because the legislature has said we're going to create you. County boards, officers - those are all positions that the state legislature has authorized and if the state legislature wanted to change them, they could. As a general matter, counties are not allowed to do things that are inconsistent with state law."
Hardin County is also trying to become a Second Amendment sanctuary.
Wednesday morning, their Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss a similar resolution to the one that passed in Jasper County.