Citizen Self-Defense bill introduced as SB 82
Senate State Affairs Committee to vote on Wednesday
South Dakota Gun Owners Email Alert Network
PO Box 3845 Rapid City, SD 57709
605.415.4299
January 26, 2009
SDGO and pro-gun legislators officially introduced the Citizen Self-Defense bill as SB 82 on Friday, January 23.
Colleges across South Dakota are banning guns via school policy. Experience has proven that such “gun free zone” policies actually encourage violent crimes like horrific mass shootings.
SB 82 will help protect South Dakota colleges from this kind tragedy. If passed, this vital legislation will simply allow adults who can legally carry anywhere else in the state to carry on campus.
Unfortunately, the left-leaning Senate Leadership is rushing to bring this bill to a vote in the State Affairs committee, and has already scheduled it for this Wednesday morning.
ACTION:
Please contact the first two committee members listed below. If you want to do more, feel free to move down the list. It’s OK if these Senators are not from your district. As a committee, they represent the entire state.
Email: You can simply copy and paste the sample message below or feel free to compose your own message.
Phone: Call the Senate Lobby at (605) 773-3821 and leave a message. A legislative page will be there between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to take your call. Your message need be no more than “Please ask Senators (insert their last names) to vote YES on SB 82.” You can leave messages for two Senators at a time.
Senate State Affairs Committee
Sen. Russell Olson – sen.olson@state.sd.us
Sen. Gene Abdallah - sen.abdallah@state.sd.us
Sen. Larry Rhoden – sen.rhoden@state.sd.us
Sen. Thomas Dempster - senatordempster@sio.midco.net
Sen. Bob Gray - sen.gray@state.sd.us
Sen. Gary Hanson - sen.hanson@state.sd.us
Sen. Scott Heidepriem - sen.heidepriem@state.sd.us
Sen. Nancy Turbak Berry – sen.turbakberry@state.sd.us
---Sample message---
Dear Senator,
I strongly support SB 82, which would recognize the right to self-defense on state college campuses.
The current patchwork of “gun free” policies on college campuses throughout South Dakota is simply appalling. “Gun free zone” signs don’t stop armed criminals. Turning colleges into “gun free” zones via school policy only invites another horrific massacre.
Experience has proven that “gun free” zones are far from gun free. In fact, virtually every major mass shooting in recent history has been committed in a so-called “gun free” zone. A “gun free” zone simply means that the law-abiding can’t defend themselves from armed criminals.
Why should a person have less freedom and safety than anyone else simply because he or she goes to college? If a person is responsible enough to cast a vote, fight a war, own a gun, carry a gun and exercise every other right of citizenship that every other adult citizen enjoys, then why should he or she be disarmed and defenseless at institutions of higher learning?
Sen. Dennis Schmidt and Rep. Tom Brunner have sponsored SB 82 to recognize the right to self-defense on college campuses. If it is passed, SB 82 will simply allow adults who can legally carry anywhere else in the state to carry on campus. Statistics clearly demonstrate that the right to carry is a strong deterrent to mass shootings. SB 82 will help protect South Dakota colleges from a Virginia Tech-style massacre.
Please vote YES on SB 82. South Dakota Gun Owners will keep me informed on how you vote.
Respectfully,
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Further Action:
If you have not yet contacted anti-gun Sen. Dave Knutson, please do so now. Sen. Knudson is the key opponent of the Citizen Self-Defense Bill. He is the 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.
You can email Sen. Knudson at sen.knudson@state.sd.us Simply copy and paste the sample message below, or feel free to compose your own message.
You can also leave the following message for Sen. Dave Knudson. The number for the Senate Lobby is (605) 773-3821. As always, courtesy is the best policy.
When you call, you can ask the page to deliver this message to Senator Dave Knudson: “Please support SB 82, Sen. Schmidt’s Citizen Self-Defense bill.”
-------- Sample Message --------
Dear Senator Knudson,
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 (SB 82) 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 SB 82.
Respectfully,
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Background on “gun free” zones