If an assault weapons ban were to become federal law, at least five West Virginia sheriffs said Wednesday they wouldn't enforce it and vowed to protect people's right to bear arms under their interpretation of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Several West Virginia county sheriffs said they would defy any federal assault weapons ban proposed by President Obama.
Earlier this month, Obama unveiled 23 separate executive actions to curb what he called "the epidemic of gun violence in this country." Additionally, he urged Congrees to pass a new ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and asked for a universal background check requirement for all new gun purchases.
If that ban were to become federal law, at least five West Virginia sheriffs said they wouldn't enforce it and vowed to protect people's right to bear arms under their interpretation of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Putnam County Sheriff Steve Deweese was among those who said he doesn't support an assault weapons ban.
"If an executive order comes across to arrest someone in possession of an AK-47, my answer is probably no, because that's violating their Second Amendment rights," he said.
Boone County Sheriff Randall White said he took an oath to defend the Constitution and recently sent a letter to Obama addressing his concerns.
Roane County Sheriff Mike Harper and Wood County Sheriff Ken Merritt have both signed a petition created by the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association to be a "line in the sand" against the federal government.
"The county sheriff is the one who can say to the feds, 'Beyond these bounds you shall not pass.' This is not only within the scope of the sheriff's authority; it's the sheriff's sworn duty," according to the petition's mission statement.
The group is headed by former Arizona sheriff and Gun Owners of America lobbyist Richard Mack, and has been designated an anti-government group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Merritt said he signed the petition last month because some of his family members have died at war to protect the Constitution.
"[Obama] can make statements on a podium, but to me it's saying, 'You don't have the Constitution anymore and we didn't give it to you as a right in the first place,'" Merritt said.
Merritt said he didn't want to be labeled a radical and hasn't decided exactly how he would defy the assault weapons ban.
"I'd do everything I can so help me God," Merritt said. "I pray to never have to do something like that but I will use deadly force if I have to."
Kanawha County Sheriff Johnny Rutherford said he didn't want to address specific measures, but that his focus was on community safety.
"We're going to enforce the laws, whatever the laws are," Rutherford said. "I'm not going to get into the politics of it. Our job is to enforce the laws and make our community safe."
Rudi Raynes-Kidder, executive director of the West Virginia Sheriffs Association, said she's still researching what would happen if sheriffs defy federal laws.
The association plans to discuss the topic and decide whether to adopt a unified stance on the issue during a meeting next month, Raynes-Kidder said. Until then, it's up to each individual sheriff to decide what's best for his or her respective counties, she said.
In recent years, many police organizations and unions have supported tighter gun control laws.
The assault weapons ban proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., would make owning such weapons a federal crime. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin declined Wednesday to comment on the proposed ban and what it would mean for sheriffs who defy it.
In its most recent major decision on gun control, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a prohibition on owning handguns in the District of Columbia. But in writing the majority opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia acknowledged that the right to bear arms was not unlimited.
Several sheriffs said they supported at least expanding current gun control laws rather than an all-out ban.
Studying the effects of violent video games and TV shows should be in the forefront of the gun control issue, according to Deweese. Also, more attention should be placed on mental health problems. He also supports making it stricter to make purchases at gun shows and hiring more school protection officers.
"What concerns me the most is the gun shows people have at say an armory. For instance, there's no background checks for anybody. If I want to go to a gun show in Eleanor and buy a 22 long rifle, I can give them $300 and walk out with it," he said.
Deweese said the recent dash to purchase high-powered rifles since the gun control debate heightened doesn't make him nervous.
"The fact of it is people have the right to bear arms. For the most part, most of the houses we go to on a daily basis have at least one or two guns already in the house," Deweese said. "West Virginia is well known for that and has been for years. And, of course, I'm a firm believer in the castle doctrine -- people have the right to defend themselves, especially in their own house."
White, of Boone County, said it's one thing to make it harder for criminals to buy guns, but law-abiding citizens shouldn't be punished.
"Background checks, that stuff is fine, that's not changing our constitution -- that's enhancing the laws, making it harder for a criminal to get a gun," White said.
Merritt said he supports Obama's proposal to ramp up law enforcement protection at schools. Several public schools in Wood County already have armed officers and he's meeting with a private school this week to place an officer there, he said.
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Only the adult females bite, as they need a protein blood meal to develop the eggs before they can reproduce. In fact, females can sip almost twice their own weight in blood. The male has different mouth parts, and must be content to be a vegetarian, supplementing his diet with nectar and plant juices. Mosquitoes find their victims—both human and animal—by flying into the wind and picking up sensor beams which they follow to their meal. These beams include the concentration of carbon dioxide which is emitted with exhaled breath, and lactic acid which is produced by muscle movement. Moist skin and a warm body is an immediate target, and the female is able to detect the slightest change in temperature. They know when you're near! These heat-seeking insects are drawn to dark colors, hair, and fur, but are also drawn to people because of scented grooming products like after-shave, perfume, cologne, and body lotions, as well as perspiration and body odor. Yet humans and animals are not their only victims. They also go after birds, frogs, turtles, and even snakes. Thankfully, other wildlife that share the same habitat, such as dragonflies, water insects, fish, water and insectivorous birds, and bats prey on mosquitoes. Although it's of little comfort, mosquitoes have pests bothering them too, in the way of tiny mites and midges. While the biting female appears to have a simple tube-like snout, it is actually a protective sheath around a hollow, flexible canal up which blood is drawn, a saliva duct that carries anti-coagulant into the wound, and four cutting stylets to penetrate the skin as they work alternately up and down—sort of sawing or stabbing their way through. When a mosquito penetrates a victim, it injects saliva to ease the blood flow which also acts as an anesthesia on the skin in order for the insect to bite without being initially detected. The substance then creates an allergic reaction on the skin, it itches, we scratch, and this develops into a welt. Worse, some types of mosquitoes are capable of carrying and transmitting a variety of diseases, including malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, as well as four major types of encephalitis (a viral disease causing inflammation of the brain). However, organized mosquito control in North America has greatly reduced the incidence of these diseases. With a mate and a blood supply, the female needs only water in which to hatch her eggs—the smaller and less disturbed the better. In her 60-day life cycle, she can lay thousands of eggs in puddles, birdbaths, watering troughs, rain barrels, and pet dishes—in clean or foul water, it makes no difference. Eggs thrive in stagnant water, as well as in a humid swamp or marsh. Breeding sites are as diverse as depressions in the woods, gutters and flat roofs that hold water, sewage pipes, discarded tires, old tin cans, and basins in city streets. For some species the life cycle begins in a week to 10 days, or eggs can lie dormant for several years just waiting for water. After hatching, mosquitoes quickly go through the larvae and pupae stages before reaching adulthood. Just hatched larvae—known as "wigglers" because they squirm like worms in the water—are equipped with a breathing tube opening near the end of the abdomen. They eat constantly, feeding on bacteria, pollen, and microscopic plants. Some species also eat other mosquito larvae. The pupae is known as a "tumbler" because it rolls and tumbles through the water, staying near the top so it can breathe. Usually within two weeks the adult mosquito emerges for its seasonal existence, with the male living about half as long as a female. After a couple of weeks the female is looking for its blood supply, and is ready to reproduce. Humans are also ready to whack them whenever they land on their skin, but that age-old method of swatting the biters is only effective in eliminating that one particular insect. There are trillions of mosquitoes all over North America, and experts predict the ratio of people to mosquitoes each season at about 1 to 41,000. Ouch! Public agencies in the United States and Canada spend millions of dollars annually trying to eliminate them or at least control them. Methods of control are numerous, ranging from destroying habitats, draining breeding places, spraying, treating surface water with kerosene, to lighting smudge pots. As each individual has a different level of attractiveness to mosquitoes, so every hiker, camper, hunter, fisherman, boater, and other outdoor enthusiast has a favorite personal remedy for warding off the annoying insect. Early man spread mud and animal fat on his skin to prevent bites. As we became more sophisticated mosquito-deterrents included pine oil, camphor, citronella, pennyroyal, cedarwood, eucalyptus, wintergreen, turpentine, and oil in any form. Orange peels worn around the neck were also believed to be effective. Today there is a wide variety of repellents (sprays, creams, and lotions), but these do not drive mosquitoes away, they merely confuse the insect's sensors so they aren't able to recognize you as a potential meal. The repellents keep the pests from biting (rather than killing them), and when they start buzzing around again, it's time to re-apply to all exposed skin, and sometimes even your clothing. There are endless remedies to ward away mosquitoes, and Avon's Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil seems to work wonders. There's also OFF, Cutter's, Ben's, Repel, Ben's Max, and other products with DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide). If you want to avoid DEET-based repellents, look for Tender's Natrapel. These come in a variety of uses—non-aerosol pump sprays, liquids, squeeze bottles, aerosol cans, single-use foil packets, towelettes, and lotions. To keep a yard mosquito-free, Raid Yard Guard seems to have a proven track record. Remember, these are all temporary solutions. However, when mosquitoes do get through the defenses, and you are bitten, there are a few things you can do to help stop the itching. It is recommended the bite be swabbed with household ammonia every hour or so; calamine lotion can be dabbed directly on the bite; and if the itching persists, take a cool bath or shower. But wait! Not everything works as it is meant to. Some years ago a British publicity stunt for a new repellent backfired when 3,000 starved mosquitoes—released into a booth with a model slathered with the new product—escaped and attacked the audience of businessmen and journalists who were there for the demonstration. Wonder if that same firm is going to demonstrate a new shark repellent? 
