The following questions were mailed to all candidates for South Dakota State Legislature.
1. Gun control advocates are calling for limits on the number of firearms that a law-abiding citizen may purchase in a specified time period, usually one per month.
Do you oppose "one-gun-a-month" laws that limit purchases of firearms by law-abiding citizens?
2. Many localities have attempted to discourage gun ownership by creating a morass of differing municipal ordinances. These rules often snare innocent sportsmen merely passing through a neighboring city.
Do you support preemption legislation that would totally prohibit localities from placing limitations on the rights of citizens to purchase, possess, or carry firearms?
3. Many gun control advocates seek to impose “no-safety” zones, creating a patchwork of places where law-abiding citizens may not possess a firearm for self-defense, i.e., restaurants.
Would you oppose legislation mandating “no-safety” zones designed to ban concealed carry for self-defense?
4. New York City registered long guns (rifles and shotguns) in 1966. But then ten years ago, the New York Daily News (9/5/92) reported that police began confiscating those very weapons, leading many to argue that registration leads to confiscation.
Would you oppose legislation requiring that firearms purchased by private citizens be registered with law enforcement and tracked by a centralized record system administered by government agencies?
5. Media hysteria has led to the misperception that semi-automatic firearms with certain cosmetic features are so-called "assault weapons." However, all semi-automatic firearms function essentially the same.
Do you oppose legislation banning the manufacture, sale or possession of semi-automatic firearms?
6. Common ammunition magazines available for firearms are simple plastic or sheet metal boxes with springs in them. There are efforts to ban magazines that hold over a certain number of rounds.
Do you oppose legislation banning the manufacture, sale or possession of large-capacity magazines?
7. Many gun control advocates are seeking to prohibit 18-20 year-olds from possessing firearms, which would treat young persons as if they have no gun and self-defense rights even though they are old enough to fight in the various armed forces serving this country.
Do you oppose laws that would take away the rights of 18-20 year-olds to possess a firearm?
8. Manufacturers of any product are held liable if the product is defective and causes injury. Yet some politicians want to hold gun manufacturers liable when a properly working firearm is used to commit a crime or is involved in an accident.
Do you oppose laws that allow persons who are shot by a properly working firearm to sue firearms manufacturers and/or firearms sellers (strict liability)?
9. Gun control advocates seek to ban private firearm sales at gun shows unless the buyer submits to a background check.
Do you oppose laws that would ban the sale of a privately owned firearm at a gun show unless the buyer submits to a background check.
10. Gun control advocates push licensing systems with background checks, fingerprinting, high fees, and "training" requirements.
Do you oppose government licensing to buy a gun?
11. Many gun owners are concerned that so-called "instant" background checks are in fact computerized central gun registration systems.
Do you oppose computerized "instant" background check systems?
12. Gun control advocates want handguns mechanically locked when not in use.
Do you oppose government mandated use of trigger locks or other locked storage requirements?
13. Recently, there has been proposed legislation to ban firearms possession for mere misdemeanors that may be no more serious than spanking your child or shouting at your spouse. This legislation specifically targets gun owners, as it does not restrict other rights.
Would you oppose legislation that bans firearms ownership due to simple misdemeanors?
14. Vermont has one of the lowest violent crime rates in the nation. The Vermont carry law recognizes that every citizen has the right to carry a gun, openly or concealed, except to commit a crime. Thus, with no government bureaucracy or license, Vermont citizens or citizens from any state can carry firearms concealed in Vermont.
Would you support Vermont-style legislation that would eliminate all requirements to pay fees and register gun owners and simply allow law-abiding citizens to carry firearms openly or concealed (at the individual’s discretion) for any reason except for the commission of a crime?
15. Many gun control advocates are seeking to ban the private ownership of .50 caliber rifles.
Do you oppose banning the private ownership of .50 caliber rifles?