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Rep. Begalka Introduces Property Rights Protection Bill as HB 1287 Governor Responds With Flimsy Compromise in Senate

South Dakota Gun Owners E-mail Alert
PO Box 3845, Rapid City, SD 57709
(605) 737-5583
LibertyTeeth@sdgo.org http://www.SDGO.org

(Thursday, January 29, 2004) – Your grassroots action is paying off. One of the surest signs of political progress is when the opposition begins to offer compromises.

Just as we predicted, Governor Rounds has introduced legislation in an effort to silence gun owners and divide them from other property rights advocates. Senate Bill 212 offers a feeble exception only for firearms, and was put forth just after pro-gun Rep. Begalka introduced House Bill 1287.

The Governor’s SB 212 is an obvious end run around the real issue, which is the protection of all private property, including firearms, from forcible seizure. SB 212 offers no protection for property rights. This bill would keep gun owners at the mercy of big government by maintaining the blanket seizure power.

If this forcible seizure power is established as legitimate by the acceptance of SB 212, the flimsy exception it offers may be easily erased. Gun owners must ask themselves why they should accept this dubious compromise when they could repeal the entire unjust seizure power.

HB 1287, the Property Rights Protection bill, offers real protection for the right to property and to arms. SB 212 would only legitimatize the forcible seizure power. Supporting such a dangerous compromise would be accepting the continued trampling of your rights.

Action:

Please call the Senate lobby at (605) 773-3821 and leave the following message for your Senator:

SB 212 is not what we want. Please vote YES on HB 1287.

To find the names of your State Senator, click here: http://capwiz.com/gunowners/dbq/officials

The introduction of SB 212 indicates fear of the further exposure that concerned citizens are bringing to bear on the unjust blanket emergency powers. We must keep the heat on!

“Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty teeth and the keystone of independence.” – George Washington

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