January 30, 2013
Hon. Doug Collins – United States House of Representatives
Hon. Saxby Chambliss – United States Senate
Hon. Johnny Isakson – United States Senate
Greetings,
I write to you today out of a sense of duty to the citizens I serve.
It seems that the media is ablaze with half truths and misleading
information when it comes to certain rights of every citizen recognized
in our United States Constitution – rights, which our Declaration of
Independence recognizes were given to us by God and are “unalienable.”
Our founders considered the existence of these rights to be
self-evident. When these words were penned, they were not new ideas.
Rather, they brought to memory ideas that, even 236 years ago, were of
such great antiquity that they were easily forgotten or disregarded by
governments and men.
I believe that the world today is, for the most part, the same as it
ever was. Throughout time immemorial, there has been a struggle in the
human experience – a battle between two opposing forces. Through the
ages, there have been those who would give all authority over to a
central form of government, and those who believe in liberty. Our
English heritage records this struggle as it waged in the thousand years
prior to our declaring independence. To say that the Constitution, or
any portion of our Bill of Rights is outdated, is to say that mankind is
outdated, because the arguments for and against freedom have been with
us from the start.
The bedrock of freedom is recognizing the rights each human being is
given by their creator and, “That to secure these rights, Governments
are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of
the governed.” The words of our Declaration and of our Constitution
were chosen very carefully by our founders. They were chosen carefully
because words have meaning and their purpose is to convey thought. It
is most unfortunate that we live in an age in which misguided and often
self-serving politicians twist the meaning of words for the purpose of
misleading the well-meaning and law-abiding average citizen.
It seems that many who are charged with representing “we, the people”
have begun to think of themselves not as public servants, but as our
masters. Rather than citizens, they see us as subjects they are
entitled to rule over. They would have us believe that crimes are
committed, or at least caused, by inanimate objects which have no will
of their own, rather than placing the blame on the criminals who choose,
in and of themselves, to commit these crimes. They would have us
believe that certain firearms belong only in the hands of police, or
that the right to keep and bear arms is about sporting, rather than
defending oneself and one’s family.
The citizens of Towns County have given
me the tremendous honor of electing me these three times to serve as
their sheriff. Being sheriff comes with the tremendous responsibility
of fulfilling a duty that has developed over more than two and a half
millennia of recorded history. As sheriff, I encourage all citizens to
take an active role in their own safety and that of their families. I
recognize their right to defend themselves and their loved ones and
expect that they will. Make no mistake that my deputies and I are
coming to their aid as quickly as possible, but in situations when
seconds can mean the difference between life and death, I rest easier
knowing that most of Towns County’s law abiding citizens are armed and,
therefore, better able to defend themselves until their sheriff arrives.
Crimes in this nation are committed by a minute group of people. In
Georgia, less than 1% commits virtually all crime. Disarming law
abiding citizens only serves to create easier targets for those who
will, whenever given the opportunity, harm another human being. Any
attempt at such an egregious assault on those rights, both recognized
and guaranteed in our Constitution, is both unconscionable and unlawful
under our system of government.
As sheriff, I took an oath to support the Constitutions of the United
States and the State of Georgia. I intend to keep that oath. I am
encouraging you to stand firm on this issue and keep your oath of
supporting the Constitution as well. Our citizens both need and expect
us to represent them in this issue. It has been very clearly relayed to
me in speaking with the people of my community that it is not the will
of the citizens I serve to have their rights infringed upon by any level
of government.
I am already aware of many “law enforcement officials” who are being
enlisted to express their support of an infringement of the Second
Amendment. I expect that most, if not all, of these “law enforcement
officials” will prove to be nothing more than appointed figureheads and,
therefore, only capable of declaring publicly the words and positions
of their superiors for fear of losing their positions. I was present
when Georgia’s Sheriffs, who serve only the citizens who elect them,
were given an opportunity to weigh in on the issue. The statement they
agreed to make to the world was clear and direct: they will stand by
their oath!
I want to be very clear so that my position is understood. As the
duly-elected Sheriff of Towns County, Georgia, I have no duty, nor
obligation, and cannot be compelled to enforce federal law. I will, as
my oath requires, aggressively oppose any state or federal legislation
that attempts to take away any of the natural rights guaranteed under
the Constitution to the law-abiding citizens I serve. I will exercise
the full authority of the Office of Sheriff in defending all of the
Constitutional rights of each and every citizen of Towns County,
Georgia, “so help me God!”
Sincerely,
Sheriff Chris Clinton
Towns County, GA
