CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Orange Town Council is considering a resolution in response to the gun control bill the Virginia General Assembly passed this week, though – despite it being shared on social media – the wording is very much a work in progress.

Mayor Harrison Cluff told Cville Right Now he supports the sentiment behind affirming 2nd Amendment rights, but has not had a chance to review the entire resolution. He said the topic will be taken up at Monday night’s council meeting.

“It’s just a basically a statement of our support and belief in the state and federal constitutions as the basis for our rights,” Cluff said. “We have not agreed upon the language. … I would call it a draft resolution and it’s still a work in progress.”

Cluff said the bill the Democrat-controlled General Assembly has sent to Gov. Abigail Spanberger threatens citizens constitutional rights.

“I’m concerned when law abiding citizens are suddenly cast into the light as criminals for doing nothing more than what they’ve done and always done since the founding of the Republic,” Cluff said.

According to a copy of the proposed resolution shared on Facebook, “the Orange Town Council hereby declares its intent to oppose any infringement on the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms using such legal means as may be expedient, including, without limitation, court action.”

But Cluff said he inherently objects to an earlier line in the proposed resolution that declares Orange a “sanctuary town.”

“I can’t support it the way it’s currently written, because my hang up is the sanctuary thing,” Cluff said. “We’re not a sanctuary from something we’re foundationally allowed to do.”

Cluff warned that such a resolution would lack “teeth,” from a legal standpoint. The town council does not have authority over the police department, he said, and the police would have to enforce the new law, if Gov. Spanberger does indeed sign it.

“We as the town council can’t direct the police what to do,” he said.

With Monday’s meeting expected to draw a crowd eager to discuss Orange’s plans data center ordinance and the proposed Valley Link electrical line project, Cluff said the 2nd Amendment resolution likely would have been included in the consent agenda. But since a copy of it was shared on social media, he anticipates it will be something the council will need to spend a little more time with Monday.

He indicated he expects the council to come to an agreement on wording for a resolution on the topic.

“It comes down to a basic constitutional right, whichever one it is,” Cluff said. “If they are being put under pressure, then the people have a right, and we represent the people, we have the right and the ability to reinforce our basic fundamental rights. And I would say a responsibility because if it starts chipping away here, what about the 5th amendment? Where does it stop?”