Quay County gun-rights ‘sanctuary’ status catches like fire

By Steve TerrellThe New Mexican TUCUMCARI -- Back when this Eastern New Mexico town was founded as a tent city in 1901, it was unofficially known as "Ragtown." Another nickname -- "Six Shooter Siding" -- later emerged, reportedly because of the large number of gunfights that took place there. "Six Shooter Siding" would be used by a saloon on Old Route 66. Today, like many old commercial establishments in Tucumcari, Six Shooter Siding is boarded up. And it's been at least a century or so since the town was renowned for gun violence. Still, firearms and the right to bear them are important to people in the community. "It's a tradition, a way of life," Quay County Sheriff Russell Shafer said in an interview last week. With that as the backdrop, it wasn't very surprising earlier this month when the Quay County Commission voted unanimously for a resolution, requested by Shafer, affirming the right of the sheriff "to not enforce any unconstitutional firearms law against any citizen." The nonbinding resolution -- spurred by controversial gun-control legislation making its way through the Legislature -- says the commission "will not authorize or appropriate government funds, resources, employees, agencies, contractors, buildings, detention centers or offices for the purposes of enforcing law that unconstitutionally infringes on the right of the people to keep and bear arms." The "Second Amendment sanctuary county" concept, fanned by some sheriffs and spreading to New Mexico county commissions like prairie fire, was borrowed from activists who for several years have convinced some local governments to declare themselves "sanctuary cities" for undocumented immigrants -- meaning local law enforcement won't help federal officers arrest those whose only crime is being in the country illegally. Quay County was joined, in just a matter of days, by other rural counties across the

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