FLORENCE COUNTY (WMBF) - Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone released an open
letter Friday regarding gun control and gun rights issues raised by last month's
shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut.
Below is the full text of
Sheriff Boone's letter:
In
the past several weeks I have been asked repeatedly whether my office would
cooperate with the federal government to confiscate firearms from the citizens
of Florence County if ordered to do so. Like every citizen of the United States, we are watching the debate on
how to stop the horrific acts of violence by a few deranged individuals against
our most vulnerable. The heartbreaking
images of innocent children murdered on such a scale are beyond horrifying, and
we as a society must try to find a solution to stop this senseless violence.
Rhetoric on both side of the political spectrum is both understandable and
predictable. How the discussion will
play out is unknown at this time. What we know however, is that this office
will always stand for and enforce the rule of law. It is not possible, nor is it practical to
predict what we will do in a hypothetical situation. Nothing in the recent Executive Orders from
the White House appears to impact local law enforcement. When and if the time comes to act or not act,
we will do so given our best analysis of Constitutional principles involved and
under the circumstances which exist at the time.
Rest
assured that we strongly support the Second Amendment of the United States
Constitution and its counterpart in the South Carolina Constitution. We have never feared the possession of
firearms by law abiding citizens. The
overwhelming majority of firearms owners in this State pose no threat to anyone
other than those who would do them harm. The cherished right of law abiding citizens to keep and possess firearms
for recreation, hunting and self-defense is uniquely American and the bedrock
of freedom.
While
the politicians debate and the interest groups advocate their positions, we are
working with the School Districts to increase the security of our schools in an
effort to prevent the type of tragedy we witnessed in Connecticut from
happening in our county. We are jointly
reviewing all policies and practices to make sure that our
schools have state of the art security measures in place. Our School Resource Officers and Patrol
Deputies will be more visible in and around our schools, and additional
training for school personnel on critical incidents is in the works.
As
your Sheriff, I urge everyone to take a breath and a break from all the
rhetoric and allow this debate to take place through the political
process. That process allows for your
voice to be heard through your elected representatives in Congress and at the
State House. Let them hear from you. In
the interim we will be enforcing the law as it currently exists.
Sincerely,
Kenney
Boone
Florence
County Sheriff
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