SDGO members flex grassroots muscle
Anti-gun politicians defeated in South Dakota Primary Elections
By Ray Lautenschlager
Executive Director
(June 9, 2006) - Anti-gun state Senator JP Duniphan (R-Rapid City) has learned the power of gun owners who vote.
Sen. Duniphan has long been one of the most anti-gun politicians in the state. She has sponsored and voted for two different bills to register and profile gun owners, two versions of the hated Lautenberg gun ban and legislation to make it harder to get a pistol permit. In fact, Sen. Duniphan has supported every anti-gun bill to be introduced in South Dakota in the past 6 years.
For years, she was a driving force behind a central registry for concealed pistol permit holders. This anti-gun database treats law-abiding gun owners like potential criminals. It profiles them in an instantly accessible registry somewhat similar to the Sex Offender Registry. Ultimately, Duniphan’s database encourages law officers to treat gun owners as a threat.
When pro-gun candidate Dennis Schmidt announced that he was running against Sen. Duniphan in the June 6th Primary Election, some pundits predicted that Duniphan was too deeply entrenched to be ousted. She had been the incumbent for nearly ten years and had formed multiple powerful alliances. But despite the odds, gun owners scored a decisive victory against Duniphan after SDGO launched a hefty accountability campaign.
In the weeks leading up to the election, SDGO made sure that gun owners in Duniphan’s district had the information they needed to hold her accountable. SDGO staff and volunteers worked overtime making hundreds upon hundreds of phone calls and sending out thousands of mail pieces to expose her long-standing anti-gun record.
Thanks in no small part to this effort, Duniphan was soundly defeated by Dennis Schmidt, 61 percent to 39 percent.
Gun Owners Hold Anti-gun Politicians Accountable
SDGO also handed notorious anti-gun Senator Gene Abdallah (R-Sioux Falls) one of the toughest races he’s ever faced. Besides Duniphan, Sen. Abdallah is the only other politician who has supported every piece of gun control introduced since 2001. He is one of the few legislators in the state to earn an “F” rating from the NRA.
Once again, SDGO worked in Sen. Abdallah’s district to inform gun owners of his long-standing anti-gun record. In past years, Sen. Abdallah has either run unopposed or won by a wide margin. But this year, that margin was significantly narrowed thanks in large part to SDGO’s accountability campaign. Though Abdallah kept his Senate seat for now, his race is another good example of why pushing gun control doesn’t pay.
SDGO will continue to monitor Sen. Abdallah’s legislative activity closely.
Grassroots Tactics Score Multiple Victories
Gun owners also replaced well-known anti-gun Senator Stan Adelstein (R-Rapid City) with pro-gun candidate Elli Schwiesow. And long-time anti-gunner Rep. Tom Hennies was defeated by a wide margin.
All of these victories demonstrate the power of grassroots gun owners. In the Duniphan and Abdallah races, South Dakota Gun Owners was the only organization to publish the incumbents’ anti-gun voting records. SDGO staff and volunteers distributed thousands of leaflets, sent thousands of mail pieces and made thousands of phone calls. Thanks to the gun owners who turned out to vote in response to this campaign, substantial political capital has been won for the right to bear arms in South Dakota.
In this election, SDGO and gun owners from across the state demonstrated that consistently anti-gun politicians are likely to lose. Gun owners either defeated or significantly narrowed the victory margin of anti-gun leaders from both sides of the state. This gets the attention of a politician like nothing else.
You can be sure that the majority of South Dakota’s state legislators were watching these races and carefully tallying the votes. Because of the outcome, they will be much more hesitant to support anti-gun efforts in the year ahead and more likely to vote for pro-gun legislation. This year’s primary provided a lesson that will not be lost on the politicians in Pierre.
In order to maintain these victories, gun owners must now focus on the General Elections in November. Both pro-gun and anti-gun candidates are seeking office this fall. The outcome of these races will set the terms of the gun rights battle for the next two years.