November 20, 2023

Township will not enforce laws restricting possession of firearms and ammunition

Last week, the Holton Township Board of Trustees in Michigan took a significant step by adopting a resolution designating the township as a Second Amendment Sanctuary. Additionally, they introduced an addendum to establish a township militia.

Following the lead of Livingston County, which declared itself a Second Amendment Sanctuary in April, Holton's resolution explicitly states that the township will not enforce red-flag laws restricting the possession of firearms and ammunition.

The resolution reads, "Whereas, the Holton Township Board declares and confirms its intent to stand as a Sanctuary Township for Second Amendment rights, and to oppose, within the limits of the Constitution of the United States and the Commonwealth of Michigan, any efforts to unconstitutionally restrict such rights."

In conjunction with the resolution, the board introduced an addendum to create a militia, known as the Militia Public Security Act. This act asserts that the township is adopting policies deemed necessary for the security and rights of Holton Township residents.

Residents eligible to join the militia must be legal residents of Holton Township with primary residency in the township. Expressing their intent to join can be done through various means, such as acknowledging it on social media, explicitly informing friends or family, or stating their intent via a letter to the Township Militia.

The addendum outlines specific restrictions for potential militia members, including a minimum age requirement of 18 and the necessity to pass a federal firearms background check. Members are required to provide their own firearms, adhering to all relevant federal, executive, county, and state regulations.

The addendum specifies that long guns with stocks hitting the shoulder, including semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, must have been legal by federal law since March 27, 2021. Similarly, pistols, handguns, including semi-automatics, must have been legal by federal law since the same date.

Acceptable ammunition includes any caliber determined legal by federal standards since March 27, 2021. The addendum extends these date-specific legal determinations to various firearm accessories such as stocks, grips, optics, magazines, clips, suppressors, and body armor.


Thanks for reading,

The Editor

P.S. Did you miss an issue? You can read every issue from the Gophercentral library of newsletters on our exhaustive archives page. Thousands of issues, all of your favorite publications in chronological order. You can read AND comment. Just click GopherArchives