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In the wake of Illinois’ blatantly unconstitutional assault weapons bill (OK, let’s be honest – it’s more a semi-auto rifles ban<\/em>) multiple sheriffs around the state have announced they will not enforce it:<\/p>\n The Illinois Sheriff’s Association was avidly opposed to the law before it passed. At least 74 sheriff’s offices have publicly stated their opposition to the law, calling it unconstitutional, according to reports.<\/p>\n “Part of my duties that I accepted upon being sworn into office was to protect the rights provided to all of us, in the Constitution,” Edwards County Sheriff Darby Boewe said on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Convention of States<\/a><\/p>\n Maybe they do things differently in Illinois – most places I have lived in, there is one (1) sheriff per county, and usually a mess of deputies etc. working for him. So if that is so there, too, then there are\u00a0 104 counties, hence 104 sheriffs in the state. \u00a0 74 out of 104 is a pretty healthy percentage – like over 71%, or in simple English, closing in on three quarters of ’em. In an election, 71% is a landslide.<\/p>\n Predictably, the ‘media’ in the state is losing its collective little mind over this. A great example is from an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune, which has never seen a gun ban it didn’t like:<\/p>\n The passage of the Protect Illinois Communities Act makes the state safer by banning high-powered firearms, and magazines with more than 10 rounds for long guns and more than 15 rounds for handguns.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t get to choose which laws to enforce and which to ignore. You and every other sheriff, police chief, officer and prosecutor took an oath to uphold the law. And violating that oath carries consequences.<\/p>\n Pritzker has said sheriffs or any other law enforcement official who refuses to comply with the new law faces termination. That\u2019s exactly the stance the governor needs to take.<\/p>\n Like any other citizen, sheriffs have a right to express their views, particularly political viewpoints since the office of sheriff is typically an elected post. But there\u2019s a difference between freedom of expression and dereliction of duty. Law enforcement officers violate their sworn duty when they decide a particular law doesn\u2019t fit their politics, and therefore should go unenforced.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n