Fighting for Citizen Self-Defense

Citizen Self-Defense bill SDGO’s top legislative priority

The State Legislature is in full swing, and South Dakota Gun Owners is working on several issues that will impact gun owners.

SDGO’s top legislative priority is the Citizen Self-Defense bill. Colleges all across South Dakota are turning their campuses into so-called “gun free” zones, where law-abiding adults can’t defend themselves from armed criminals.

Experience has proven that “gun free” zones actually encourage violent crimes like horrific mass shootings. In fact, virtually every mass shooting in recent history has been committed in a “gun free” zone.

By depriving the law-abiding of any effectual means of self-defense, these college “gun free” zones give criminals a monopoly on force.

And you can be sure that the anti-gun crowd won’t stop at college campuses, either. If they can ban self-defense there, they’ll go right on to restaurants, grocery stores and your local city park, until they have stripped each one of us of our right to bear arms in self-defense.

This is why SDGO is working with pro-gun leaders Sen. Dennis Schmidt and Rep. Tom Brunner to introduce the Citizen Self-Defense bill.

As you may remember, this bill passed the House last year with an overwhelming majority and won strong public support from the Governor’s office. It also did well in the Senate, failing by just two votes of becoming law.

These victories were due in no small part to your outstanding efforts. Right now, the Citizen Self-Defense Bill has a very good chance of passage. Now is the time for action!

Anti-gun Sen. Dave Knutson is the key opponent of the Citizen Self-Defense Bill. He is the left-leaning Majority Leader of the State Senate, and was primarily responsible for last year’s narrow defeat.

But this year is different. Sen. Knudson has just announced that he is running for Governor in the next election. That means he is vulnerable.

Sen. Knudson knows that he must pay attention to gun owners in every corner of the state now. He knows that he must pay attention to you.

Please call the Senate Lobby and leave the following message for Sen. Dave Knudson. The number for the Capitol is (605) 773-3821. A legislative page will be there on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to take your call. Courtesy is the best policy.

When you call, you can ask the page to deliver this message to Senator Dave Knudson: “Please support Sen. Schmidt’s Citizen Self-Defense bill.”

You can also email Sen. Knudson. His address is Sen.Knudson@state.sd.us Simply copy and paste the sample message below, or feel free to compose your own message.

It is vital that Sen. Knudson receive a high volume of calls and emails. If possible, please do both. Let’s see if we can light up the Capitol switch board!

South Dakota Gun Owners informs me that you took a strong anti-gun position last year.

This is disappointing. Your stand against the right to self-defense on college campuses does nothing to encourage my vote for your bid for governor.

Should a person have less freedom and safety than anyone else simply because he or she goes to college? Should society trust a person less than other people of equal age simply because he or she attends college?

If an adult is responsible enough to cast a vote, fight a war, own a gun, carry a gun and exercise every other right of citizenship, then why should he or she be disarmed and defenseless at institutions of higher learning?

Why should everyone on a college campus be treated like a second class citizen?

Sen. Dennis Schmidt is re-introducing the Citizen Self-Defense Bill to recognize that adults on college campuses have the same right to self-defense that every other South Dakotan enjoys.

I respectfully urge you to reverse your anti-gun position and support Sen. Schmidt’s legislation.