Gov. Ricketts Declares Nebraska a ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary State.’

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a proclamation that designates his state as a “Second Amendment Sanctuary State,” reaffirming the state’s support for gun rights.

“Nebraska has always been a state that has supported our Second Amendment rights,” Ricketts said, according to a video of the signing event. “As a symbol of that support, I am signing a proclamation declaring Nebraska a Second Amendment Sanctuary State, and with my signature, it will become official.”

A number of counties in the state have already declared themselves Second Amendment “sanctuaries.”

The move comes in light of recent federal gun-control proposals and orders following several mass shootings.

Last week, President Joe Biden unveiled a series of executive orders including new designations on “ghost guns,” “red flag” legislation, and stipulated that pistols modified with stabilizer braces would be subject to the National Firearms Act.

U.S. House Democrats, meanwhile, passed two gun measures that would expand background checks, although numerous Republican senators have said they would use their power to block both measures.

“The White House and U.S. Congress have announced their intention to pursue measures that would infringe on the right to keep and bear arms,” according to a tweet from Ricketts, a Republican. His designation “will stand up against federal overreach and attempts to regulate gun ownership and use in the Good Life,” the governor said.

Earlier this month, deputies in Cache County, Utah, said they won’t enforce any federal policy that may infringe on residents’ Second Amendment rights. Sheriff D. Chad Jensen said that “unconstitutional gun control” will not happen in the county on his watch.

“I have always supported and wholeheartedly enforced all constitutionally sound laws that deter and penalize gun violence,” Jensen wrote in the April 9 statement. “It is critical we continue to work to keep firearms out of the hands of those who would use them to commit acts of violence against our citizens.”

Meanwhile, White House officials have said that more gun-control measures are forthcoming.

“The president is not going to wait for Congress to act to take additional executive actions—this is the beginning,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last week. “He will continue to have his team review, both from a policy and a legal standpoint, additional executive actions that are possible to take.”

Psaki said Biden will still attempt to push Congress to create “long-term measures,” without elaborating on what regulations he might seek.