House passes HB 1278 without anti-gun amendments
South Dakota Gun Owners Email Alert Network
PO Box 3845 Rapid City, SD 57709
605.415.4299
February 18, 2009
Hats off to each of you who took action on HB 1278, the bill to end city gun bans. Thanks your excellent work, it passed the House of Representatives, 46 to 20.
As you may remember, Rep. Val Rausch brought a gutting amendment which would have given every mayor in South Dakota the authority to ban guns on virtually all property owned or leased by the city. His amendment would have effectually nullified South Dakota’s current preemption law.
Thanks to South Dakota Gun Owners members and supporters, the Rausch amendment was soundly defeated. The vote on the amendment is listed below.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where it may face stiff opposition.
ACTION:
Please contact your Senator and ask him or her to support HB 1278. Feel free to use the sample message below to help direct your comments.
If you don’t know who your Senator is, click here: http://capwiz.com/gunowners/state/main/?state=SD&view=myofficials Simply scroll down to”My Elected Officials,” enter your address and city and click “GO.”
Phone: Call the Senate Lobby at (605) 773-3821 to leave a message. A legislative page should be there between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to take your call.
Email: Click on the following link to send your Senators an email online: http://legis.state.sd.us/email/LegislatorEmail.aspx Choose his or her name from the drop down.
---Sample message---
Dear Senator,
I urge you to support HB 1278.
This bill simply clarifies South Dakota’s preemption laws, which were originally passed in 1983 to ensure uniform gun laws across the state. These preemption laws were designed to play several important roles.
They are intended to guarantee that the South Dakota pistol permit is valid throughout the state, and that the regulations on concealed carry are uniform. Our preemption laws were also designed to provide for uniform safe transportation regulations, so that the same approved method for safely transporting a firearm is legal as a person travels across South Dakota. Our preemption laws are also intended to guarantee that the process for purchasing a firearm will be uniform.
Our state is the home of several nationally recognized manufacturers of firearms and ammunition. These facilities hold to a very high standard of safety, and play an important part in our economy by providing hundreds of jobs. One of the main reasons many of these companies located in South Dakota was because of our excellent gun laws, and our preemption laws, which are intended to guarantee that the regulations on the manufacture and repair of firearms and ammunition will be uniform across the state.
HB 1278 simply clarifies that South Dakota’s gun laws should remain uniform, and that the Legislature alone has the jurisdiction to change them. This is the clear intent of the current law.
Please vote YES on HB 1278 and resist any amendments. Please support the bill as it is.
Respectfully,
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If you would like to do more, please contact your Representatives. The crux of the debate was the Rausch amendment to give every mayor in South Dakota the authority to ban guns on virtually all property owned or leased by the city. The vote on the amendment is listed below.
Be sure to thank your Reps if they voted pro-gun, or respectfully let them know that they have made a mistake if they voted anti-gun.
You can identify which Representatives are yours at this link: http://capwiz.com/gunowners/state/main/?state=SD&view=myofficials
Email: http://legis.state.sd.us/email/LegislatorEmail.aspx
Choose his or her name from the drop down.
Phone: Call the House Lobby at (605) 773-3851 to leave a message.
Voting for the Rausch Amendment (Anti-gun)
Rep. Susy Blake
Rep. Quinten Burg
Rep. Blake Curd
Rep. Joni Cutler
Rep. Paul Dennert
Rep. Brian Dreyer
Rep. Richard Engels
Rep. Mitch Fargen
Rep. Peggy Gibson
Rep. Bernie Hunhoff
Rep. Kevin Killer
Rep. Larry Lucas
Rep. Ed McLaughlin
Rep. David Novstrup
Rep. Deb Peters
Rep. Val Rausch
Rep. Darrell Solberg
Rep. Oran Sorenson
Rep. Steve Street
Rep. Bill Thompson
Rep. Bill Van Gerpen
Rep. Martha Vanderlinde
Rep. Susan Wismer
Voting against the Rausch Amendment (Pro-gun)
Rep. Jim Bolin
Rep. Jamie Boomgarden
Rep. Tom Brunner
Rep. Lance Carson
Rep. Justin Cronin
Rep. Tom Deadrick
Rep. Bob Faehn
Rep. Dennis Feickert
Rep. Marc Feinstein
Rep. Jason Frerichs
Rep. Brian Gosch
Rep. Brock Greenfield
Rep. Noel Hamiel
Rep. Charles Hoffman
Rep. Roger Hunt
Rep. Ed Iron Cloud III
Rep. Phil Jensen
Rep. Kent Juhnke
Rep. Patrick Kirschman
Rep. Don Kopp
Rep. Shantel Krebs
Rep. Gerald Lange
Rep. Dan Lederman
Rep. David Lust
Rep. Nick Moser
Rep. Kristi Noem
Rep. Eldon Nygaard
Rep. Betty Olson
Rep. Ryan Olson
Rep. Carol Pitts
Rep. Tim Rave
Rep. Fred Romkema
Rep. Tim Rounds
Rep. Lance Russell
Rep. Todd Schlekeway
Rep. Dean Schrempp
Rep. Jacqueline Sly
Rep. Roger Solum
Rep. Manny Steele
Rep. Charles Turbiville
Rep. Kim Vanneman
Rep. Mike Verchio
Rep. Dean Wink
Background
City officials are banning guns in South Dakota.
Regardless of whether you possess a concealed pistol permit, these bureaucrats and politicians say you cannot carry a handgun to defend yourself on city property.
The City of Sioux Falls has banned the right to carry on all city property. That includes numerous parks, every city transit bus, twelve different Libraries, a 7000 seat Arena, a convention center and many other locations. In Rapid City, bureaucrats are imposing an outright gun ban in the 10,000 seat Civic Center Arena, and more than a dozen other towns are also moving in this direction.
It may be hard to believe that this could happen in your town. But if cities like Sioux Falls and Rapid City are allowed to get away with banning guns, you can be sure other towns across South Dakota will follow suite.
Current state law makes it illegal for cities to create a patchwork of “gun free zone” ordinances. Since 1983, SDCL 9-19-20 has preempted city ordinances which restrict possession or ownership of firearms.
But the bureaucrats have found a loop-hole, and they are exploiting it with a vengeance. They are creating an entangling web of so-called “gun free” zones that will ensnare law-abiding gun owners. You could face arrest and confiscation of your firearm simply for exercising your right to bear arms in these towns.
This is why SDGO has partnered with pro-gun Rep. Don Kopp and Sen. Dennis Schmidt to introduce HB 1278. This simple legislation will close the city gun ban loop-hole and end this outrageous denial of the right to bear arms.
Click here for more on the city gun ban issue