Idaho town declares itself a ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary’

BOISE — The Star City Council has declared itself a “Second Amendment Sanctuary City.”

“It’s more timely now than ever,” said Councilor Michael Keyes, who proposed the resolution on July 21 in response to “current events in our country.”

The council backed Keyes’ resolution unanimously.

“That’s an important item here in our country moving forward: standing up for our constitution,” said Mayor Trevor Chadwick.

Star, in northwestern Ada County, has about 10,500 residents.

Dozens of other towns and cities have passed similar amendments, declaring that they would not enforce “unconstitutional” gun laws.

While on the national scale, Congress has heard proposals for stricter gun control, Idaho’s Legislature has repeatedly backed bills that would reduce restrictions.

Most recently, in 2019, the Legislature passed a bill that lowered the age limit for carrying a concealed weapon to 18 from 21.

The sanctuary city idea borrows an idea from the opposite side of the political spectrum. Some liberal-leaning cities have marked themselves as sanctuaries from immigration enforcement. But the term is new within the gun debate.

As of January, more than 400 municipalities across 20 states had passed similar resolutions, according to the Trace, a nonprofit newsroom that covers guns.

Star’s resolution reiterated the city’s commitment to the right to bear firearms and outlined its opposition to policies that would require gun owners to hold a special identification card or tax guns or ammunition within Star. Idaho’s own constitution already prohibits any state laws requiring a license or special taxation on firearms.

The resolution went onto “affirm support of the Star Police Department ... to exercise sound discretion not to enforce against any citizen any unconstitutional laws.” It also says the Star City Council would not fund enforcement of any laws that it viewed as infringing the Second Amendment.

Many legal experts have said that the sanctuary resolutions are largely symbolic. In Virginia, where dozens of counties became “sanctuaries” after the state’s Democrat-led legislature enacted dozens of new gun laws, the Democratic attorney general issued an advisory opinion arguing that such resolutions are invalid.

Star’s resolution, which was later shared on the city’s Facebook page, garnered support from many of the city’s residents. The Ada County Republicans also backed the decision.

“The Ada County Republican Party truly appreciates the work of the conservative mayors and city council members across Ada County,” the party wrote in a Facebook post.

The move comes amid weeks of protest in downtown Boise, where those calling to defund the police have clashed with conservative counter-protesters, some who came armed.

Just a week before it passed the resolution, the City Council posted a message of support for the Star Police on Facebook. “Your city and it’s elected officials support you! Thank you for all you do to keep Star a safe and vibrant community.”