February 28, 2010
Congratulations! Thanks to the support of gun owners across the state, the Firearms Freedom Act (SB 89) passed the Senate, 29-4 (the vote is recorded below).
Several Senators who have well-known anti-gun records voted for the bill because they know they will have to face the voters in just a few months. While this is a less than laudable motive, the right to bear arms can benefit from this election-year dynamic.
As you may know, South Dakota is one of twenty-one states who have passed or are working to pass the Firearms Freedom Act. The bill ensures that firearms manufactured and sold in South Dakota are NOT subject to the unconstitutional restrictions pushed by the gun control zealots in Washington, D.C.
A big thanks to each of you who took action on this. SB 89 now proceeds to the House, where it will have its third vote on Monday morning in the State Affairs committee.
ACTION:
Please contact the members of the House State Affairs committee listed below and ask them to support SB 89, the Firearms Freedom Act. As always, its OK if these Representatives are not from your district. As a committee, they represent the entire state.
You can simply copy and paste the sample message below or feel free to compose your own message.
Rep. Jamie Boomgarden
rep.boomgarden@state.sd.us
Rep. Richard Engels
rep.engels@state.sd.us
Rep. Bob Faehn
rep.faehn@state.sd.us
Rep. Marc Feinstein
rep.feinstein@state.sd.us
Rep. Brian Gosch
rep.gosch@state.sd.us
Rep. Bernie Hunhoff
rep.hunhoff@state.sd.us
Rep. Larry Lucas
rep.lucas@state.sd.us
Rep. David Lust
rep.lust@state.sd.us
Rep. Kristi Noem
rep.noem@state.sd.us
Rep. Val Rausch
rep.rausch@state.sd.us
Rep. Timothy Rave
rep.rave@state.sd.us
Rep. Manny Steele -
rep.steele@state.sd.us
Rep. Charles Turbiville
rep.turbiville@state.sd.us
---Sample message---
Dear Representative,
I strongly support SB 89, the Firearms Freedom Act.
Montana and Tennessee have already passed this outstanding legislation, and South Dakota is the 19th state to introduce it this year.
SB 89 simply ensures that firearms manufactured and sold in South Dakota are NOT subject to the unconstitutional restrictions pushed by the gun control zealots in Washington, D.C.
This is vital legislation to protect and 2nd Amendment, along with the 9th and 10th Amendments. Please vote YES on SB 89.
Respectfully,
--------------------------------
On a more somber note, many of the same Senators who supported the Firearms Freedom Act voted to defeat the Citizen Self-Defense bill (SB 180). As you will remember, cities across the state are exploiting a loophole in state law to ban self-defense on virtually all city property. SB 180 would have closed the gun ban loophole, clarifying that city-level officials may NOT trample your right to bear arms. In essence, the vote to kill SB 180 was a vote to make your concealed pistol permit null and void on city property.
SB 180 was defeated in the Senate State Affairs committee. Senators Larry Rhoden, Russ Olson and Bob Gray joined the left-leaning members of the committee to kill the bill by a vote of 8-1, effectually defeating any efforts to revive the bill this year. Please be sure to contact the Senators listed below who voted for or against SB 180 and express your approval or disapproval accordingly. As always, courtesy is the best policy.
Final Vote on the Citizen Self-Defense bill (SB 180)
Voting FOR SB 180 (pro-gun)
Sen. Gary Hanson -
sen.hanson@state.sd.us
Voting AGAINST SB 180 (anti-gun)
Sen. Larry Rhoden
sen.rhoden@state.sd.us
Sen. Bob Gray -
sen.gray@state.sd.us
Sen. Russell Olson (due to an error in the Capitol email system, the following link is the best way to contact Sen. Olson)
Web page to email Sen. Olson
Sen. Gene Abdallah -
sen.abdallah@state.sd.us
Sen. Thomas Dempster
sen.dempster@state.sd.us
Sen. Nancy Turbak Berry
sen.turbakberry@state.sd.us
Sen. Dave Knudson
sen.knudson@state.sd.us
Sen. Scott Heidepriem
sen.heidepriem@state.sd.us
Here is the full Senate Vote on Firearms Freedom Act (SB 89)
Voting FOR SB 89 (pro-gun)
Senators
Abdallah
Adelstein
Bartling
Bradford
Brown
Fryslie
Gant
Garnos
Gillespie
Gray
Hansen (Tom)
Hanson (Gary)
Haverly
Heidepriem
Howie
Hunhoff (Jean)
Kloucek
Knudson
Maher
Miles
Nelson
Nesselhuf
Olson (Russell)
Peterson
Rhoden
Schmidt
Tieszen
Turbak Berry
Vehle
Voting AGAINST SB 89 (anti-gun)
Senators
Ahlers
Dempster
Jerstad
Merchant
The parking lot bill (HB 1169) was defeated in the State House after passing the House Local Government committee. This legislation would have prohibited all employers from penalizing or harassing gun owners who keep their firearms locked in their cars on company property. It asserted that you have the right to carry your self-defense weapon in your car, even if your employer has a policy against self-defense. The final vote was 43-18 to defeat the bill.
Voting FOR HB 1169 (pro-gun)
Representatives
Boomgarden
Brunner
Deadrick
Fargen
Frerichs
Greenfield
Jensen
Kirkeby
Kopp
Lederman
Lust
Moser
Olson (Betty)
Russell
Sly
Thompson
Van Gerpen
Verchio
Voting AGAINST HB 1169 (anti-gun)
Blake
Bolin
Burg
Carson
Conzet
Cronin
Cutler
Dennert
Elliott
Engels
Faehn
Feickert
Feinstein
Gibson
Gosch
Hamiel
Hunhoff (Bernie)
Hunt
Juhnke
Kirschman
Lange
Lucas
McLaughlin
Novstrup (David)
Nygaard
Peters
Pitts
Putnam
Rausch
Rave
Romkema
Rounds
Schlekeway
Solberg
Solum
Steele
Street
Tidemann
Turbiville
Vanderlinde
Vanneman
Wink
Wismer