About the Moderator | nevadacountyteaparty

About the Moderator: Sheriff Richard Mack

Richard Ivan Mack is the former sheriff of Graham County, Arizona. Mack is the founder of Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (read their Statement of Position by clicking here), and established the "County Sheriff Project" movement, both organizations claim the power to refuse to enforce federal laws.

Mack spent eleven years with the police department of Provo, Utah, and then moved back to Arizona to run for Graham County Sheriff in 1988. While serving as sheriff, he attended the FBI National Academy and graduated in 1992.

He is best known for his role in a successful lawsuit brought against the federal government of the United States which alleged that portions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act violated the United States Constitution.

In 1994 while he was still Sheriff of Graham County, he was recruited by the National Rifle Association as a plaintiff in one of nine lawsuits against the Clinton administration over the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act.

Mack v. United States (later restyled to Printz v. United States), a lawsuit against the federal government which alleged that portions of the Act violated the United States Constitution, because they comprised a congressional action that compelled state officers to execute Federal law. These portions were interim provisions until a national instant background check system for gun purchasers could be implemented. In a 5–4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the provisions of the Brady Act in question were, in fact, unconstitutional. You can read the decision by clicking here.