Bill Mitchell

Bill Mitchell, Founder of Florida Foundation for Freedom

Website: https://www.foundationforfreedom.us/

Throughout our nation’s history, the federal government has repeatedly attempted to encroach upon our Constitutionally protected, God-given rights. Through Acts, Executive Orders, Laws, Mandates, Proclamations, Supreme Court Rulings, and Treaties, the three branches of government have gradually reshaped our understanding of their roles and authority. Instead of “we the people” being the employers of our elected officials, we have been reduced to mere subjects under the centralized power of the federal government. We have failed to challenge unconstitutional actions and nullify these overreaches.

To understand the strategy behind the federal government’s usurpation of our Constitutional rights, one can look at the assault on our 2nd Amendment rights. The second amendment remained unchallenged from 1791 until 1934 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced The National Firearms Act as part of his New Deal for Crime legislation. This was ostensibly to curb gangland crimes but was, in reality, the first attack on our right to bear arms. Over the last 90 years, federal and state governments have systematically attempted to disarm the American public under the guise of protection. This includes unconstitutional Acts like the Gun Control Act of 1968, The Brady Bill of 1993, and President Clinton’s Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

A significant challenge to this disarmament came with the Supreme Court case of Mack/Printz v. USA, where two Sheriffs stood against the unconstitutional 1994 Act and won. This case ignited a national movement to safeguard our second amendment rights. In response, many counties, particularly in Florida, passed Resolutions to become Sanctuary Counties for the Second Amendment. These Resolutions aimed to position counties as protectors against state and federal overreach.

The importance of constitutional counties became even more evident during Covid and the 2020 election cycle. Our 1st Amendment rights of assembly were violated by shelter-in-place orders, and our 5th Amendment rights were compromised along with the 9th, 10th, and 14th Amendments due to arbitrary business closures and vaccine status discrimination. This pattern of federal overreach highlights the need for counties and their sheriffs to stand up and pass resolutions defending the entire Bill of Rights and the Constitution.