Oconto County Board urged to delete 'divisive' language in its Second Amendment resolution
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is asking the Oconto County Board to remove "inappropriate and divisive phrasing" from its resolution declaring support for the Second Amendment.
The national nonprofit organization based in Madison criticized wording where a "lack of faith" is cited as a factor that helps produce violence.
“The Supreme Court has said time and again that the First Amendment requires ‘government neutrality between religion and religion, and between religion and nonreligion,’” FFRF Anne Nicol Gaylor Legal Fellow Samantha Lawrence wrote to Oconto County Board of Supervisors Chair Alan Sleeter. “The board’s resolution that a ‘lack of faith’ is a contributing factor in the rise of violence in the community impermissibly sends the message that the board favors community members who are religious over those who are nonreligious.”
The organization requested that the Board rescind the resolution, or amend it to remove "lack of faith" from the list of societal issues that cause violence.
"While it is certainly laudable that the Board wishes to address the important and complex issues of community violence and firearm safety, it is needlessly divisive and inappropriate for the Board to officially claim that violence is in any way a result of 'lack of faith' among community members," Lawrence wrote.
The letter will be read at the July 20 County Board meeting, and then Sleeter can assign it to a committee for review, if he wants, according to Oconto County Administrator Erik Pritzl.
The resolution passed by a 29-1 vote May 18. Supervisor Guy Gooding abstained and Sleeter voted no, saying afterward he supported what was in the resolution, especially the parts about gun safety education and addressing causes of violence, but wasn't sure if it would have any effect on state lawmakers.
After it passed, the statement was forwarded on behalf of the Oconto County Board to Gov. Tony Evers, all state legislators and the Wisconsin Counties Association.
The resolution stated, in part, "WHEREAS, this revelation of vulnerability has created a call for action. This OcontoCounty Board of Supervisors join the Sheriff and feel now is the time to discuss violence in its totality, not simply as an issue of gun violence. Violence is a result of a breakdown on many fronts. The lack of faith, the eroding of family values, the involvement in gangs, sex trafficking, the abuse and sale of illegal drugs, the lack of proper mental health treatment, the lack of education and guidance within our educational system as relates to safe firearms use, storage and handling. The discussions must continue in our community from all disciplines who are dedicated to addressing the complex issues related to our safety."
Lawrence argued that no evidence exists to show that a lack of faith correlates with a rise in violence.
"A resolution stating that nonreligious community members are partially to blame for violence in their community is not only offensive but also a factually unsupported claim," she wrote.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation said the Board should respect the First Amendment rights and the diversity of its community to amend the resolution.
"As elected officials, the Board represents a diverse population that consists of not only religious community members, but also atheists, agnostics, and those who are simply religiously unaffiliated," Lawrence wrote. "This resolution needlessly blames and alienates Oconto County citizens who are part of the nearly one in three Americans who now identify as religiously unaffiliated."
Contact Kevin Dittman at 920-431-8416 or kdittman@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Oconto County Board urged to delete 'divisive' language in resolution
