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<\/a>Wicomico County Sheriff Michael A. Lewis and other Maryland sheriffs speak<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
Some sheriffs protest gun restrictions; others refuse to enforce the laws<\/h2>\n
By Marlena Chertock, Emilie Eaton, Jacy Marmaduke and Sydney Stavinoha
\nNEWS 21<\/p>\n
Sheriff Mike Lewis considers himself the last man standing for the people of Wicomico County.<\/p>\n
\u201cState police and highway patrol get their\u00a0orders from the governor<\/span>,\u201d the Maryland sheriff said. \u201cI get my orders from the citizens in this county.\u201d<\/p>\n With more states passing stronger gun control laws, rural sheriffs across the country are taking the meaning of their age-old role as defenders of the Constitution to a new level by protesting such restrictions, News21 found.<\/p>\n Some are refusing to enforce the laws altogether.<\/p>\n Sheriffs in states like New York, Colorado and Maryland argue that some gun control laws defy the Second Amendment and threaten rural culture, for which gun ownership is often an integral component.<\/p>\n They\u2019re joined by groups like Oath Keepers and the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, both of which encourage law enforcement officers to take a stand against gun control laws.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not (the judge’s) job to tell me what I can and can’t enforce,\u201d – Weld County, Colo. Sheriff John Cooke\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Lewis and some other sheriffs across the nation, most of them elected by residents of their counties, say their role puts them in the foremost position to stand up to gun laws they consider unconstitutional.<\/p>\n \u201cThe role of a sheriff is to be the interposer between the law and the citizen,\u201d said Maryland Delegate Don Dwyer, an Anne Arundel County Republican. \u201cHe should stand between the government and citizen in every issue pertaining to the law.\u201d<\/p>\n While the position of sheriff is not found in the U.S. Constitution, it is listed in state constitutions:\u00a0Article XIV<\/a>\u00a0of Colorado\u2019s,\u00a0Article XV<\/a>\u00a0of Delaware\u2019s,\u00a0Part VII<\/a>\u00a0of Maryland\u2019s and\u00a0Article XIII<\/a>\u00a0of New York\u2019s. Nearly all of America\u2019s 3,080 sheriffs are elected to their positions, whereas most state and city police top commanders are appointed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n