County Voters To Decide Whether To Become A Gun Sanctuary

MARION, Ill. (AP) -- County officials in southern Illinois will be letting voters decide whether it'll join a movement by several other counties in the state to become a gun sanctuary county.

Jim Marlo is a chairman for the Williamson County Board of Commissioners. He tells The Southern Illinoisan that the board has voted to let residents have input on the resolution to become a sanctuary county for gun owners, a reference to so-called sanctuary cities that don't cooperate with aspects of federal immigration enforcement.

Commissioner Brent Gentry says people's voices need to be heard and letting 60,000 residents vote sends a better message than just board members making the decision.

Marlo says the board has until August to formulate the question.

Several rural Illinois counties have declared themselves gun sanctuaries.

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