By Constitution Staff

With the recent push by the Obama Administration to restrict the constitutionally-protected right of individual citizens to keep and bear arms, many sheriffs across the country have vowed that they would have no part in any effort to confiscate guns.

The Oklahoma Constitution contacted some of the 77 sheriffs in Oklahoma, to give them an opportunity to weigh in on this issue.

"I will keep that Oath," Cleveland County Sheriff Joe Lester promised. "I took an oath of office" to support the Constitution of the United States, which includes the Second Amendment. "I believe that all people are secured the right to bear arms through the Second Amendment and that this right shall not be infringed. I believe that any issuance of a law or directive by the Federal Government contrary to this amendment to the U.S. Constitution would be unlawful."

Sheriff Lester added, "I view my current position as a sacred trust. I will keep my oath.

To do anything less would be to dishonor my God, the people of Cleveland County, the memory of all those great patriots who came before, and the core of my very soul."

Jackson County Sheriff Roger LeVick expressed similar sentiments. In his oath to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Oklahoma, LeVick said, "I take that oath very seriously. I and my deputies will not enforce any federal regulations enacted by Congress, or by executive order of the President that offends the constitutional rights of the citizens in Jackson County. Furthermore, I will not permit the enforcement of any unconstitutional regulations or orders by federal officials."

Kenny Stradley, sheriff of Comanche County, told the Oklahoma Constitution that federal officials would have a "problem" in trying to confiscate weapons in his county. He said that the government needs to leave "good people" alone and worry about those who have "mental problems" or the "gangbangers."

The response of Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz was a little different. "I will perform duties in accordance with the law as interpreted by both of our Supreme Courts," Glanz said in a letter to the Editor of the Oklahoma Constitution. "If locks were on the doors in New Town, all of the children and three of the teachers could have been saved. It is not an issue of gun control."

Glanz said that Sheriff Richard Mack of Arizona sued the federal government over the Brady Bill and won, because the bill required sheriffs to do background checks without compensation. Instead, Glanz said, a "national data base was created." The data base was supposed to have included mental health information, "but does not due to mental health laws (HIPAA)."

Glanz asserted that Mack "started an organization for self profit, and some sheriffs, though out our Nation, believe the misinformation he is putting out. He invited them to Las Vegas and pays their expenses to get them to believe in his message."

Despite Glanz's apparent mistrust of Mack's motivation, Glanz said he would defend both the United States and the Oklahoma State Constitution, "with my life if need be."

Glanz said he would comply with the resolution of the National Sheriffs' Association, which deals with "the issue of gun control and the Constitution." The resolution includes a statement that "sheriffs strongly support our citizens' protected right to bear arms under the Second Amendment," and "does not support any laws that deprive any citizen of the rights provided under the Constitution and Bill of Rights."

The resolution continued, however, to state that the "doctrine of judicial review grants to the United States Supreme Court and the lower courts the power to determine the constitutionality of any law and sheriffs do not possess the legal authority to interpret the constitutionality of any law," concluding that the National Sheriffs' Association "supports the rights conferred by the Second Amendment and further recognizes the ultimate authority of the courts in interpreting the scope of those constitutional rights."

Does this mean that should the Supreme Court rule that a law confiscating guns is constitutional, that the National Sheriffs's Association would recommend sheriffs participate in that confiscation, deferring to the judgment of the courts?

Sheriff John Whetsel of Oklahoma County also responded to our inquiry with a personal letter, sent via the Internet. Whetsell said that he has begun each of his several terms as sheriff, and each law enforcement job, taking and swearing "an oath to obey and defend the laws and the Constitution of Oklahoma and of the United States." Whetsell said that he is a member of the above-mentioned National Sheriffs' Association, which he said "is on record supporting the Constitution and the Second Amendment."

"I personally believe we have plenty of laws regulating firearms and that we should enforce the laws we have," Whetsel continued. "I see a strong need to enhance the ability to access mental health records as part of the background checks. I am a strong defender of the Constitution and the Second Amendment as well as the other 26 amendments. I am a life member of both the National Rifle Association and the Oklahoma Rifle Association." He added that he was honored as ORA Officer of the Year in 1998 and 2011, is a strong supporter of the right to own, bear and carry firearms, and is an annual sponsor of and attends Friends of the NRA events.

"Although Executive Orders do not pertain to local officials, the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office will not participate in any confiscation of firearms," Whetsel vowed.

Whetsel was accused during his recent re-election campaign of being an "opponent" of the Second Amendment, with detractors citing his support for the Brady Bill pushed through Congress by former President Bill Clinton. In his letter to the Oklahoma Constitution, Whetsell contended that "there was total disregard for the truth by the campaign waged against me."

Readers of the Oklahoma Constitution are urged to contact their own sheriff about this critical issue, which no doubt will continue to confront the citizens of the United States.