Forsyth Board Narrowly Passes Gun Rights Measure

Forsyth County commissioners on Thursday narrowly passed a measure that reaffirms its commitment to the Second Amendment. When Davidson County considered a similar measure last month, no one spoke in opposition.

In this case, that didn't happen. Charles Francis Wilson was the first speaker, and he said the measure isn't needed because commissioners have already taken an oath to support the Constitution.

“No one is going to confiscate our guns or deny our right to bear arms,” he said. “Anxiety over this issue is a useless expenditure of energy.”

Forsyth is less Republican and less rural than most of the other nearby counties that have passed the so-called Second Amendment Sanctuary measures. So the debate was considerably more robust, with several speakers from both sides making points.

Gun rights supporters say their Second Amendment freedoms are under attack from people who want to take their weapons.

Commissioners considered two resolutions. One was specifically tailored to the Second Amendment. Another reaffirmed support for the Bill of Rights, which includes not only the right to bear arms but other freedoms like free speech. 

The vote came after confusion over which proposal commissioners were ultimately voting on. What passed was the measure that dealt solely with supporting the Second Amendment.

It was a 4 to 3 vote, along party lines. After the vote, Democratic commissioner Tonya McDaniel tore her copy of the measure in half, a move that mimicked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's ripping President Donald Trump's State of the Union address.