With the gun debate taking center stage in Springfield this week, one local law enforcement official has taken a very strong view on what should be done.

DeWitt County Sheriff Jered Shofner has taken a strong stance supporting the 2nd Amendment. The Sheriff has strongly supported the 2nd Amendment, and he feels there is a fundamental misunderstanding between lawmakers and Sheriffs. He says the law abiding citizens are not the problem, but rather it is a problem of criminals.

[audio:228132ndamendment1.mp3] [/audio]

The Sheriff feels the focus needs to be on criminals, but also the mentally ill. He says legislation has taken funding away from providing the necessary help for the mentally ill, and he says they are seeing the consequences of those cuts.

[audio:228132ndamendment2.mp3] [/audio]

A lot has been made about assault rifles and now what makes a gun an assault rifle. Sheriff Shofner explains in the past 25 years, he cannot think of a single crime in DeWitt County that has involved what is now considered an assault rifle. He feels attention could be better focused on the other issues at hand.

[audio:228132ndamendment3.mp3] [/audio]

The Sheriff says statistics would show we are living in maybe one of the most violent times in American history. He notes though, because of medical technology not as many people are dieing because of assaults.