Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Gloucester has declared itself a Second Amendment Sanctuary. Now Mathews needs to do the same. Why? For the following reasons:

1. The governor’s proposed legislation is unconstitutional, at both the federal and Commonwealth level, denying Virginia’s fundamental civil rights.

2. Such an action exerts our community values. The man who alleges to represent us in the Senate (a supporter of gun control) is elected by a majority from Norfolk. Our so-called senator owes his allegiance to an area that shares neither a common border nor common values with our community.

3. Such a measure will force the Commonwealth to directly face the question of sanctuary. If localities can create sanctuaries to harbor illegal aliens, then localities can create sanctuaries that protect the rights of legal residents.

4. The legislation proposed is unnecessary. The FBI uniform crime report for 2018 (the last year available) shows that the so-called assault weapons are u...