Defending your gun rights in Pierre

January 28, 2011

The 2011 State Legislative Session is in full swing, and SDGO is working to pass two important pro-gun bills.

HB 1193, the bill to STOP city gun bans, was introduced yesterday by pro-gun state Representative Don Kopp (R-Rapid City).

City-level officials in Sioux Falls have banned guns on all city property, including parks, city busses and numerous other public places. They are enforcing this ban regardless of the concealed pistol permit. Unfortunately, Rapid City has also banned guns on some city property, and other towns in South Dakota will likely follow suit if the larger cities are allowed to get away with it.

State law already prohibits cities from creating a patchwork of so-called "gun free" zones that will ensnare law abiding gun owners. But these city bureaucrats and politicians are exploiting a loop-hole in the law to enforce their anti-gun policies.

Experience has proven that "gun free" zones disarm only the law-abiding, while leaving gun toting thugs free to commit their atrocities. SDGO is bringing HB 1193 to defend the right to self-defense and end these city gun bans.

ACTION:

HB 1193, the bill to STOP city gun bans, will be up for its first vote in the House Local Government committee as early as next Thursday. Please contact the committee members below and urge them to support the bill.

It's OK if some of these Representatives are not from your district. As a committee, they represent the entire state.

Email: Please use the email addresses listed, or click on the Representative's name to use the online email system. Feel free to use the sample message below to direct your comments.

Phone: You can call and leave a message for the committee members, Monday through Thursday of next week (the session works on a four day week). The number is (605) 773-3851, and you can leave a message for up to two Representatives with each call. Your message can be as simple as "Please ask Representatives _________ to vote YES on HB 1193."

Please note that Representatives Kloucek, Magstadt, Munsterman, Olson, Schrempp, Tulson and Venner have co-sponsored the bill. If you contact them, be sure to thank them for their support and encourage them to vote for the bill.

House Local Government Committee

---------------- sample message ----------------

Dear Representative

I urge you to support HB 1193, which provides for uniform gun laws across the state.

This bill simply clarifies our existing laws, which already prohibit towns and counties from restricting the right to bear arms.

HB 1193 is the truest form of local control. The right to bear arms is a constitutionally guaranteed individual right. The individual is the best person to decide when and where he or she may need the means of self defense, in accordance with state law.

This bill provides for the safety of every South Dakotan by allowing law-abiding citizens to exercise their fundamental right to self-defense. Experience has proven that attempts to ban firearms affect only the law-abiding, but give armed criminals greater freedom to do harm.

Please vote YES on HB 1193.

Respectfully,

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The second bill SDGO is working on has not yet been assigned a number. This legislation would prohibit all employers from penalizing or harassing gun owners who keep their firearms locked in their cars on company property. It asserts that you have the right to carry your self-defense weapon in your car, even if your company has a policy against self-defense. Stay tuned for more information.