City of Ashton Becomes 6th City to Pass 2nd Amendment Sanctuary Resolution in Idaho
By Greg Pruett • November 12, 2020As America waits for the results of the 2020 presidential election from the Electoral College next month, cities in Idaho are taking action on 2nd Amendment issues.
Prior to yesterday, five Idaho cities passed “2nd Amendment Sanctuary Resolutions.” Those five cities are Greenleaf, Star, Eagle, Saint Anthony, and Nampa.
Now, the city of Ashton has passed a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary Resolution as well.
The effort was headed up by City Councilmember John Kaelberer Jr.
Kaelberer Jr. told us that the vote to pass the resolution was unanimous. Idaho Dispatch asked Kaelberer Jr. about his efforts and this is what he told us:
Tonight the Ashton City council had our regular monthly meeting and a resolution to make Ashton a Second Amendment Sanctuary City was voted in with a unanimous vote by the City Council. Although symbolic, I was very pleased to be able to introduce the Resolution and have it passed for our city to make a stand in support of the 2nd Amendment ! We had the full support of the Police Chief and Mayor.
The resolution was passed on a 4-0 vote.
Idaho Dispatch is unaware of any opposition to the resolution at this time. Kaelberer Jr. told us that no one at the meeting from the crowd spoke in favor of or against the resolution.
Idaho Dispatch has reached out to both the Fremont County Republicans and Democrats for comment.
Here is a message the Fremont County Democrats sent to us in a Facebook message:
The City of Ashton is currently being sued for $2.3 million by the contractor chosen to build a wastewater holding pond four years ago. The annual budget for the city is only $2 million. That means if the city loses the case, a population of less than a 1,000 people, with a 45% poverty rate, will be on the hook for another bond. If the city council would pay more attention to managing capital construction projects required to provide essential services, instead of passing non-binding resolutions, the cost of living in Ashton and paying for water, sewer, and garbage wouldn’t be as exorbitant as it is. But that’s of no concern to your buddy, John Kaelberer. As one of your loyal followers, his only concern is the Second Amendment. By the way, please tell him that there’s more to the First Amendment than freedom of speech. In fact, here’s a link to the Bill of Rights that you can pass along to him: https://constitutioncenter.org/learn/educational-resources/historical-documents/bill-of-rights
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Idaho Dispatch asked Kaelberer Jr. if he wished to respond to the comment from the Fremont County Democrats and here is what he sent us:
My main concern in regards to the city is to keep taxes down and try to ensure that the people of Ashton are all treated fairly. Everything I do is to ensure that Ashton is a safe and wonderful place for our citizens to live in. The person giving the Democrat statement has a personnel dislike for me and it bleeds into her politics. I am very proud of the city council and mayor of Ashton. We work well together for the good of the city. I cannot comment on on going litigation in regard to the pending lawsuit. I was not on the city council during the time that the construction contracts were drawn up for the holding pond or during the construction. That contract was made before the current Mayor was elected and I was appointed to my seat on the city council.
Idaho Dispatch has not heard back from the Fremont County Republicans but we will update this article if they do respond.
Will your city be the next one to pass a resolution or do you believe the resolutions are not worth doing? Let us know in the comments below.
Note: Some of our readers may not know my work with the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance which is what the Fremont County Democrats are referring to. Despite whatever differences of opinions I have with other individuals, parties, and groups in Idaho, the Idaho Dispatch is about treating all sides equally and balancing our articles without personal bias. We remain neutral on reporting these issues. Additionally, neither myself or the ISAA had anything to do with the passage of this resolution or any of the recent resolutions that have been passed in Idaho.
Tags: 2nd Amendment Sanctuary, Ashton, Fremont County Democrats, John Kaelberer
Although the State passed SB 1332, which has similar language to the city’s resolutions, I believe it sends a message to out State Legislators. We have too many legislators who only vote yes on 2A bills if they think it will benefit them. Pro 2A bills have been passed but others have been held back so our legislators cannot even vote on them. The more cities that become 2A Sanctuary cities, the louder the message. These Resolutions may be largely symbolic, but the message they send is not. “Shall Not Be Infringed” is as clear and any text in the Bill of Rights or our Constitution. There is no doubt about what our Founders intended.
I want the CoeurdAlene area to become a sanctuary area.
Great idea and congratulations on passing it. I’d love to see the entire state declared a 2nd A preserve, and have law in place allowing our Sheriffs to arrest atf and other illegal federal agents encroaching on our state to enforce unconstitutional federal laws. Glad you guys succeeded !!