Washington sheriff refuses to enforce stay-at-home order after virus causes 97 deaths in his county

A sheriff in Washington said this week that he will not enforce an order to stay at home issued by Gov. Jay Inslee (D).

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney argued that the governor's stay-at-home order violates the U.S. Constitution.

"I want to start by saying this virus is very real and sadly, it has taken 97 lives in Snohomish County," he wrote before blasting Inslee's plan.

"If pot shops are essential, then why aren’t gun shops essential?" Fortney complained. "This contradiction is not okay and in my opinion is bordering on unethical."

According to the sheriff, Inslee's government is picking "winners and losers" during the coronavirus pandemic.

"I have not carried out any enforcement for the current a stay-at-home order," Fortney revealed. "As your Snohomish County Sheriff, yes I believe that preventing business owners to operate their businesses and provide for their families intrudes on our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

"We have the right to peaceably assemble," the sheriff added. "We have the right to keep and bear arms. We have the right to attend church service of any denomination. The impacts of COVID 19 no longer warrant the suspension of our constitutional rights."

He concluded by saying that he and other sheriffs "will not be enforcing an order preventing religious freedoms or constitutional rights."

"This is not a time to blindly follow, this is a time to lead the way," he insisted.