U.S. and Oregon sheriffs’ associations support John Hanlin amid gun control, conspiracy theory controversy
Sheriffs across the United States are speaking out in support of the embattled sheriff leading the response to last week’s mass shooting in southern Oregon.
Douglas County sheriff John Hanlin’s past actions have incited controversy in the wake of the shooting. Renewed attention was directed toward a January 2013 letter he wrote to Vice President Joe Biden after the Sandy Hook school shooting where 20 children died, in which he vowed not to enforce any laws he deemed in violation of the Second Amendment, and (also in January 2013) a conspiracy theory video about the shooting that he posted to his Facebook page.
Citing these details, gun control advocates called for his resignation, saying he is incapable of helming the investigation into the shooting that killed nine people at Umpqua Community College, in the town of Roseburg, on October 1.
The president and CEO of the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), Danny Glick and Jonathan Thompson, respectively, released a statement Thursday morning demanding that “partisan, special interest groups” immediately stop their “insufferable smear campaign” against Hanlin.
“Sheriff Hanlin attended Umpqua Community College — finding peace for his community and the families devastated by this heartbreaking tragedy is deeply personal to him,” it reads. “Comforting the families, bringing the alleged killer of nine innocent souls to justice and serving his oath to protect his county are his only priorities. He doesn’t need knee-jerk opportunists getting in his way.”
Glick, who is also sheriff of Laramie County, Wyo., and Thompson praised Hanlin as an upstanding sheriff with more than 25 years of honorable service to his community and the United States.
Similarly, the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association (OSSA) released a statement Wednesday in support of Hanlin, his deputies and the entire community of Douglas County — especially the victims of the tragedy.
“We understand there is a great demand for immediate answers and change, but rushing an investigation or making snap judgments does a great disservice to the victims, their families, and the community as a whole,” the statement reads.
OSSA said that first responders, including members of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, acted with the “utmost professionalism in the face of complete heartache” when responding to a “very gruesome and horrific scene.”
Hanlin and the investigative team, the organization said, are making decisions based on evidence from the scene and the advice of partners aiding in the investigation.
“We would like the victims’ families to know that we share in your grief,” OSSA said. “May God bless and comfort each one of you.”
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