Wrangell Sentinel -

A new Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly resolution urges residents to own weapons and ammunition to compensate for limited local law enforcement in Alaska’s fastest-growing region.

The action, which doesn’t have the power of law, reflects ongoing discussion in the region about the lack of borough policing powers as the state troopers struggle with continued staffing issues that have left the local trooper detachment with roughly 20% of its positions unfilled.

Unlike Anchorage, which has lost residents overall for the past nine years, Mat-Su has steadily grown. The borough population reached o...