KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — UPDATE: Commissioners voted in favor of the National Gun Violence Awareness Day proclamation, while voting against the proclamation that would make Kalamazoo County a “Second Amendment Constitutional County.” Follow this link for more information.
— Original Story —
Kalamazoo County Commissioners will be dealing with dueling proclamations Tuesday night, one that calls on them to support gun ownership and another that opposes gun violence.
The pro-gun proclamation calls on the board to declare that Kalamazoo is a “Second Amendment Constitutional County” that supports the right to bear arms.
The other asks the board to declare the first Friday in June “National Gun Violence Awareness Day.”
Commissioners can propose whatever proclamations they like and its apparent that these two are coming from different directions.
The first claims “more Kalamazoo County residents are concerned about personal safety during the current pandemic and are purchasing more firearms in recent months.” It adds, “Kalamazoo County residents deserve assurance that their second amendment rights are supported by Kalamazoo County government; and each Kalamazoo County Commissioner, took an oath to support the United States Constitution and the Michigan Constitution, both of which include citizens’ individual rights to keep and bear arms.”
The second proclamation argues that guns have just made homes more dangerous. It states, “the pandemic facing America has drastically impacted communities and individuals sheltering in place which may result in situations where access to firearms results in increased risk in intimate partner violence gun deaths, suicide by gun and unintentional shootings.”
This proclamation is to honor and remember all victims and survivors of gun violence and “to declare that we as a country must do more to reduce gun violence.”
The pro-gun proclamation is being proposed for a first-reading and the anti-violence one is on the agenda for a final vote.
The virtual meeting will take place at 5 p.m. Tuesday and can be streamed here. The full meeting agenda can be found here.
(John McNeill contributed to this report.)
