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Clay County passes resolution supporting gun owners' rights

Clay County commissioners have approved a resolution declaring the county's support of the Second Amendment.

Action News Jax reported last week that Commissioner Gavin Rollins was proposing a resolution to make Clay a "Second Amendment Sanctuary."

It came after other Florida counties passed resolutions or began considering them.

The push for the sanctuary designation has come after calls for more gun control after deadly mass shootings across the U.S.

Rollins said his proposal was in response to a call by a former presidential candidate for gun owners' weapons to be confiscated.

"I'm a big fan of what Lake County did, and I'm proposing the same resolution in Clay County," Rollins told Fox News. "With Beto [O'Rourke] saying he's going to take people's guns away, I think it's important that, as community leaders, we stand with our citizens and reaffirm that the Second Amendment is not negotiable."

County commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday in favor of passing a modified resolution in support of the Second Amendment.

The word "sanctuary" was removed from the resolution before commissioners voted to approve it.

A press release from a Board of Commissioners spokesperson said in part:

"The resolution declares Clay County's support of the Second Amendment and opposition to any future infringement on the right to bear arms, but the word "sanctuary" was removed from the Resolution before Commissioners voted to approve it. The intent of the resolution is to preserve for the people of, on, and in Clay County, their rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America and to reaffirm the oath each commissioner took to support, protect and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States and of the State of Florida."

The Clay County Sheriff's Office said they will continue to enforce the law by state statute not by commissioners' resolutions. You can watch what the sheriff had to say about the proposal here.

Read more about other counties considering the sanctuary designation here.