Virginia lawmakers are pushing through anti-gun legislation to limit gun purchases, require background checks on private sales, and require that local communities ban guns at public events. In anticipation of the onslaught on gun rights, more than 90% of Virginia counties declared themselves “Second Amendment sanctuary” counties. The gun sanctuary movement is backed by the incredible momentum that led to the peaceful pro-gun rally in Richmond on Monday, but liberals, and even conservatives, are missing the point entirely of Second Amendment sanctuaries.

Some conservatives, such as Brad Polumbo at the Washington Examiner, claim Second Amendment sanctuary counties are “an affront to the rule of law.” Polumbo wrote: “Refusal to abide by laws properly passed through our electoral system and then upheld by the judiciary … well, that’s just anarchy.” Polumbo also compared Second Amendment sanctuaries with the illegal immigrant sanctuary cities that have sprouted across the nation: “There are important differences, but it is interesting to see how many conservatives vigorously oppose sanctuary cities for immigrants while defending ‘Second Amendment sanctuaries.'”