Gun sanctuary movement explodes as background checks near record high

The gun sanctuary movement is spreading like wildfire, driven by growing concerns that state and local governments, egged on by 2020 liberal presidential candidates such as Mike Bloomberg, will ban guns.

In Virginia, which took the lead in the effort after Bloomberg funded gun control candidates who took charge of the legislature, cities and counties in the movement have nearly doubled.

According to the website Bearing Arms, there are now nearly 80 gun sanctuary areas in Virginia that have passed the so-called Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution urging local police to ignore anti-gun laws.

“This is truly becoming a massive tsunami!” said sanctuary organizer Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League in an email.

“The Second Amendment Sanctuary movement continues to amaze me,” said Cam Edwards, editor of Bearing Arms, in a review of the effort.

What’s more, he said that the movement is now winning Washington’s attention.

Edwards said that Republican Virginia Rep. Denver Riggleman is now backing the effort. “I stand with all those who are exercising their First Amendment right to free speech on this important issue,” he said.

The movement is also spreading nationally to pro-gun states such as Colorado as gun owners and supporters grow concerned about the possibility that a Democrat will beat President Trump next year. Most of the candidates have supported gun bans.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, which is the gun industry’s trade group, has indicated that 2020 could see a repeat of the record gun sales surge in 2016 when Hillary Clinton was expected to win and impose a ban on modern sporting rifles.

NSSF President Larry Keene said that FBI background checks for gun purchases last month were the second-highest ever and that the trend will continue to grow next year.