(Reuters) - The National Rifle Association was more deeply involved than previously disclosed in the formation of a movement that encouraged county sheriffs not to enforce some gun-control laws, a U.S. gun-control advocacy group said on Monday, based on public records it obtained. FILE PHOTO: Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace speaks during the county commission meeting in Grants, New Mexico, U.S., February 28, 2019. REUTERS/Adria Malcolm/File PhotoUnder the so-called Second Amendment sanctuary movement, county sheriffs in at least four states have vowed to refuse to enforce laws that they consider to be infringements on the U.S. constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The movement has been widespread in New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Illinois, where elected sheriffs and county commissioners have taken particular exception to “red flag” laws designed to take guns away from people legally deemed to be a threat to themselves or others. The Brady group focused its public records search on New Mexico, where earlier this year 25 of the state’s 33 counties passed resolutions to support sheriffs who refuse to enforce firearms laws they consider unconstitutional. The NRA on Monday denied playing any role in the sanctuary movement, saying it only communicated with New Mexico sheriffs about defeating state gun-control legislation by drafting editorials, analyses and fact sheets that were shared among the sheriffs. Critics have questioned the legality of the sanctuary movement, saying sheriffs should enforce laws set by the legislature and leave it to courts to interpret them. Promoting or blocking legislation is what the NRA does. Advocating that law-enforcement officers defy the law would invite more scrutiny from its opponents. Brady said it received 1,600 documents under New Mexico’s public records act, including 24 email correspondences between the NRA and Tony Mace, the Cibola County sheriff and chairman of the New Mexico

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