Gun rights victory won in last T

The Secretary of State released the official Primary Election results today, showing solid gains for gun owners in South Dakota.

Multiple victories in last week’s elections have once again proven the effectiveness of no-compromise grassroots tactics.

Thanks to support from gun owners like you, SDGO launched gun rights campaigns in key districts and produced our state-wide Gun Rights Voter Guide. As a result, gun owners reaped a harvest of pro-gun leaders and defeated anti-gunners across the state.

Former State Representative Dick Brown was arguably the most anti-gun candidate in this election. While in office, Brown voted against gun owners nearly every chance he could get. He was finally term-limited and had to step down several years ago.

Now, after garnering support from some of the most powerful (and unfortunately, liberal) elements in the Republican Party, Brown took a second run for the State House in Legislative District 30. Many pundits predicted that he would win easily because of his prior service. But SDGO mounted an accountability campaign, publishing Brown’s anti-gun voting record across his district. He was caught trying to hide his past anti-gun votes and portray himself as a pro-gun conservative. In the end, Brown was defeated, thanks in no small part to gun owners who were alerted to his anti-gun record.

Dick Brown’s defeat sends a clear message to politicians in South Dakota: voting anti-gun can have a high political price tag.

Gun owners also helped re-elect staunch pro-gun leaders Sen. Dennis Schmidt (R-33) and Rep. Tom Brunner (R-29). Schmidt and Brunner led the charge earlier this year on an important Right-to-Carry bill. They both have a solid pro-gun track record.

Schmidt faced a strong challenger for his District 33 Senate seat. State Representative Mike Buckingham opted to give up his place in the House in an attempt to take Schmidt’s Senate seat. But SDGO generated thousands of mail pieces and phone calls informing gun owners of Sen. Schmidt’s outstanding pro-gun stance. Schmidt defeated Buckingham, 59 to 41 percent.

Strong pro-gun candidate Don Kopp also faced a tough race against anti-gun candidate Terry Batchelder for the State House in District 35. SDGO mounted a hefty gun rights campaign in the District, sending thousands of mail pieces and making hundreds of phone calls. Once again, gun owners helped elect Kopp and defeat Batchelder by a landslide.

Several other candidates who signed SDGO’s pledge of support for the right to arms won their races last week. These include Jason Frerichs for State House in District 1, Manny Steele for State House in District 12, Dan Lederman for State House in District 16 and Lance Russell and Mike Verchio for the State House and Gordon Howie for the Senate in District 30. Gun owners now must follow up on these victories by encouraging each of these candidates to remain true to their pro-gun pledges. SDGO will keep you informed.

Now the focus shifts to the general election in the fall. All of these preliminary gun rights victories must be carried through the November election. Stay tuned!