Carl L. Parker, President Anne S.

Parker, Secretary
1st Vice Bernest Hewett Assistant Jerlyn McMillan

February 16, 2020

Brunswick County Government Complex
30 Government Center Dr NE.
Bolivia, NC 28422
Dear Brunswick County Commissioners;

On behalf of the over 250 active members of the Brunswick County Branch of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People who are seamlessly a part of our 2,200 branches and some half million
members worldwide, we are firmly and adamantly opposed to your “Resolution Declaring Brunswick County
A Constitutional Rights Protected County”. We find it unconscionable that in this day and age that the
Brunswick County Board of Commissioners would not take the time to “STOP – LOOK – and LISTEN” to the
tragic realities of living in our gun infested “modern” and so-called civilized society.

When our fledgling government ratified the Second Amendment in 1791 there were only 3.9 million
Americans; The "arms" we gave ourselves the right to bear were vastly less powerful--namely they were
single-shot muskets that had to be manually loaded with powder and ball for each shot, versus today's semi-
automatic assault weapons that spray 50-60 high-caliber bullets per minute, 200 times faster than at the
time of the 2nd Amendment; It was legal to own slaves in some parts of the country (Constitutionally
permissible behavior that, fortunately, changed); "America" didn't extend west of the Mississippi River (and,
really, it was only the 13 colonies); Indians still attacked occasionally; We hunted for our food; "States" really
were separate countries in those days--it took months to travel from one end of the country to the other;
and the "frontier" (and many other parts of the country) was essentially lawless . . . . Citizens had to protect
themselves, because no one else was around to do it (Now, most states have well-armed police forces and a
well-equipped and trained standing army).

Even the late Supreme Court Justice Antoine Scalia understood that there are restrictions that apply to the
Second Amendment.

To quote NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, “Fear at school was something the Little Rock Nine
knew all too well. Facing vitriol, racism, and merciless violence, the Little Rock Nine were escorted, for their
own safety, by federal troops to their high school classes. For those brave students selected to make the
promises of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision a reality, fear and terror were a
normal part of the school-day routine.

Decades later, fear and terror still exist in our children’s classrooms. Due to the National Rifle Association
(NRA) and the politicians that support them, meaningful discourse on the issue of gun control is nearly
impossible, and in that silence, school shootings from Sandy Hook to Parkland keep the classroom a
battleground, not a place of learning.

Given the disproportionate damage gun violence is having on our communities, the NAACP has advocated for
sane, sensible laws, to help eliminate or at least to decrease the damage and death caused by gun violence.
Requiring universal background checks on all gun sales and transfers, banning military-style, semi-automatic
assault guns, enacting tough, new criminal penalties for straw purchasers and gun traffickers, and allowing
the Center for Disease Control to research gun violence as a major public health issue are just a few of the

Forward Together, Not One Step Back

reasonable steps lawmakers could take to stem the tide of gun related deaths in neighborhoods across the
nation.”

We ask you to STOP and consider what you are trying to achieve with the resolution you are proposing. It is
our belief that the County has no authority to say whether or not a state or federal law is unconstitutional.
The only way to make that happen is if the Commissioners decides to file suit against the state.

It is also a matter of freedom. LOOK at the meaning of freedom. Freedom is just not for a select few, it is for
all. Your proposed resolution does not speak for all of us living, working or visiting here in Brunswick County.
If you approve this resolution, you will be usurping the freedom of all of us in the name of a political position
that serves just a few.

Without sane gun laws, parents are faced with the daily and ever-present fear of another shooting at their
child’s school that could have been prevented. All Americans deserve this freedom regardless of skin color,
political affiliation, or zip code. This is one freedom that the NAACP is committed to fighting for.

You might think that your resolution will satisfy the gun-loving souls of the 2,000 signatures on the pro-“gun
sanctuary” petition that was laid upon your desk . . . . of which we would challenge you to validate their
residency in our county. Have you verified that signers of this petition even live in our county?

Before you approve your “gun sanctuary” resolution, we also challenge you and Sheriff Ingram go into all of
our Brunswick County schools, in every class room, hold town hall meetings and LISTEN to your citizens.
Come and speak of your vision at our next monthly NAACP meeting. Come to our churches on Sunday and
give us your message as to why this resolution is so vitally important. Why is resolution more important
than say clean water or air, healthy children, affordable housing, sound infrastructure, successful regional
collaborations or vibrant economy?

We, the NAACP of Brunswick County, challenge you to get up really close to us and LISTEN to our side of the
story before you vote resolution. This is not a one and done governmental transaction, no, our children will
inherit the future of your decision on this resolution.

We believe when we use God’s resources, we should make things better than we founded them. We are
sure that you, the County Commissioners, believe as we do that we all should improve and empower the
people we serve.

Finally, in the words of Martin Luther King, “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of
consensus.”

Sincerely,

__________________________________
Carl Parker, President
NAACP - Brunswick County Branch #5452
P.O. Box 364, Supply, NC 28462
910-619-4974
______________________________________
Brayton Willis, Acting Chairman
Environmental and Climate Justice Committee
NAACP - Brunswick County Branch #5452

Forward Together, Not One Step Back