IRON MOUNTAIN — Gun violence prevention laws in Michigan came under fire Monday from citizens who want the Dickinson County Board to declare the county a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” where some gun control measures might go unenforced.

The county took no action on the request from the Dickinson County Republican Committee and plans to seek legal advice before taking up the proposed resolution.

“I would like to do something, but it has to be done legally,” Commissioner Joe Stevens said.

Along with taking comments from several citizens, the board received a direct request for a specific resolution from Teresa Maycroft and Angela Hall, both of Breitung Township, representing the DCRC.

The Democratic-controlled majority in Lansing has passed “unconstitutional legislation,” the DCRC’s request states. The committee objects to Michigan’s new safe storage laws that require gun owners to keep weapons locked or unloaded around minor children, saying it makes weapons unavailable for self-defense.

Extreme risk protection orders, or “red flag laws,” are also opposed, with the DCRC arguing it allows courts to take firearms away from people with no due process.

It’s necessary for the county to send a message to Lansing that these new laws are unjust, Hall told the board. “If we don’t push back, they will railroad us.”

Maycroft, likewise, said if the laws go uncontested those who initiated them will be emboldened “to pass more laws that chip away at our freedoms until we have none.”

The idea of a sanctuary resolution isn’t new to the county. In February 2020, with scores of gun rights advocates in attendance, the county board affirmed its support of “the right of people to keep and bear arms” but stopped short of adopting a Second Amendment sanctuary declaration. The circuit courtroom where the board meets was again full on Monday.

In March, Bridge Michigan reported that at least 53 of Michigan’s 83 counties have adopted resolutions to declare themselves a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” or to explicitly support constitutional rights, including the right to bear arms.

While county commissioners can’t direct sheriffs or judges on what laws to enforce, sanctuary resolutions can signal resistance to gun control measures. The DCRC’s proposed resolution takes a further step by saying the county board “will not appropriate any funds for any enforcement of unconstitutional laws against the people of Dickinson County.”

Extreme risk protection orders in Michigan are expected to go into effect next spring. According to the Associated Press, it will allow family members, police, mental health professionals, roommates and former dating partners to petition a judge to remove firearms from those they believe pose an imminent threat to themselves or others.

The judge would have 24 hours to decide on a protection order after a request is filed. If granted, the judge would then have 14 days to set a hearing during which the flagged person would have to prove they do not pose a significant risk. A standard order would last one year.

In addition to the new gun storage law, set to go into effect next year, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation requiring criminal background checks for anyone buying a rifle or shotgun, also effective next year. Previously, background checks had been required only for the purchases of pistols.