Kay County Sheriff Department will NOT enforce new gun ruling

Kay County Sheriff Steve Kelley said his department will not enforce a new firearm regulation from the U.S. Department of Justice.

In a social media post made Thursday, Kelley joined other sheriffs from across Oklahoma in saying that county deputies “will not enforce any ‘rules’ set forth by the Department of Justice that violate the Oklahoma Second Amendment Sanctuary Act.”

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice issued a ruling prohibiting so-called “stabilizing braces,” a firearm accessory for pistols. The brace functions like a rifle stock and can allow people to use a pistol like a short-barrel rifle. President Joe Biden, other Democratic leaders and gun control advocates support the measure.

In a statement, Biden said: “The Justice Department is taking action to close this loophole and regulate these pistols with stabilizing braces as the dangerous weapons they are, and make it harder for individuals intending to inflict carnage to obtain these weapons.”

However, some sheriffs in Oklahoma have indicated they won’t enforce the ruling, saying millions of stabilizing braces are in the hands of gun owners around the country and have not been used to commit crimes. Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III is among the sheriffs who oppose the new regulation. Kelley said his office will not enforce federal rules that infringe on citizens’ rights and will not take action against people who own the braces.

“However, if any person uses a weapon, regardless of its classification, to commit a crime in this county, that person will be subject to the Oklahoma Criminal Statutes and will be charged accordingly,”

Kelley said in the social media post.

Kelley joined sheriffs from across the state nearly three years ago in declaring that Kay County is a socalled Second Amendment Sanctuary