The Long History of ‘Sanctuary Cities’ and Why 2A Sanctuaries Matter

In this Bearing Arms article, Tom Knighton argues that Second Amendment sanctuaries expose the left’s selective use of “local control” arguments.

• Knighton opens by connecting current Trump administration immigration enforcement actions to sanctuary cities, arguing that local non-cooperation with ICE has helped create the conditions for broader federal operations.
• The article notes that sanctuary policies have a long history in America and were not controversial to many on the left until conservatives adopted the same concept for gun rights.
• Knighton cites reporting that sanctuary city policies date back to Berkeley, California, in 1971, when the city sought to protect military personnel who refused to return to duty during the Vietnam War.
• He points out that sanctuary policies later expanded into immigration enforcement, with cities and local governments refusing to cooperate with certain federal immigration actions.
• The piece contrasts immigration sanctuaries with Second Amendment sanctuaries, noting that many rural, conservative counties have passed measures opposing state and federal gun-control enforcement.
• Knighton acknowledges that many 2A sanctuary resolutions may be largely symbolic, since federal agencies such as the ATF still retain major enforcement authority.
• His central argument is that 2A sanctuaries matter because they reveal hypocrisy: gun-control advocates often claim communities should set their own laws, but only when local governments want more restrictions.
• Knighton argues that the left embraced sanctuary policies when they undermined federal immigration or military authority, but objected once conservatives used the same concept to resist gun-control laws.
• The article frames Second Amendment sanctuaries as a political and constitutional statement against what Knighton views as overreaching gun-control efforts.

Read the full story: https://bearingarms.com/tomknighton/2026/05/19/the-long-history-of-sanctuary-cities-and-why-2a-sanctuaries-matter-n1232578