By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Gun-control legislation continues to be a hot-button issue around the nation. In April 2021, the Barton County Commission signed Proclamation 2021-09 stating Barton County is a Second Amendment Sanctuary for the preservation of defense of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Andrew Cook took that to heart. Earlier this month, Cook exercised his Constitutional rights by carrying a rifle around and inside the Barton County Courthouse.
"The county had a one-hour heads up that I was coming," he said. "The sheriff's department had been contacted, letting them know that, because of this proclamation, I'm coming down there. Here's the rifle I'm bringing down, here's the time I'm going to be down there, and here's the activities I'm going to be doing. Give heads up to whoever needs to be notified."
Cook reports he actually received a warm welcome from several residents. Three people applauded his efforts on the way to the building, and two more women gave him a thumbs-up inside the courthouse. He said openly carrying a firearm is not about terrifying people who work or do business in the building.
"I was going there for a purpose, to show them that I can and they're not going to shut me down," he said. "At the same time, I'm not going with the intent to terrify anybody. I really don't want to get shot, so I want to give as much heads up and advanced notice to everybody as possible that, hey, I'm going to be there, but I'm not a threat to anybody."
Cook said, at the end of the day, government officials have sworn to protect the Constitution, including the Second Amendment. Expressing that right is bigger than himself.
"They're the ones swearing an oath to protect it," Cook said. "The Second Amendment shall not be infringed upon. It should begin and end right at that point. The Second Amendment doesn't talk about peoples' personal feelings on the matter. It's not protecting feelings when it comes to it, it's protecting rights.
"At the end of the day, it's not Andrew Cook that has the right to go in there and do it. It's all the citizens have the right to do that. That's what we have to protect. There's truth in the saying that, 'An armed society is a polite society.'"