South Dakota Could Become the next Constitutional Carry State

The Mount Rushmore State is a breath of fresh air.  According to one study, South Dakota is the second freest state in the entire country.

And it’s about to get a lot better, if state Rep. Jim Stalzer (R) has his way.

Stalzer has introduced House Bill 1116, which would make South Dakota the seventh “constitutional carry” state in the country.

The concept of “constitutional carry” is simple:  An individual’s ability to exercise his or her Second Amendment rights shouldn’t depend on a “permit” from the government.

You don’t need a government license to write a book.  So why should you have to get the government’s okay in order to carry a firearm to protect yourself and your family?

Currently, Americans in Vermont, Alaska, Wyoming, Arizona, Arkansas, and most of Montana can carry a firearm without a government license.  Lest anyone fail to notice, these are not exactly high-crime areas as a result of their diligence for the constitutional rights of their citizens.  In fact, these are some of the safest places in America.

House Bill 1116 would add South Dakota to that illustrious list of Constitution-loving states.

Make no mistake about it.  Under House Bill 1116, if a criminal carried a gun in connection with a crime, he has committed a crime and is going to prison.

But that’s just the point:  If law enforcement is allowed to focus on the “bad guys,” rather than the enforcement of silly counter-productive, unconstitutional nitpicking, crime will go down.

Crime will also go down if criminals have to consider the possibility that their victims could be armed and could shoot back. It’s no surprise that the “dog that didn’t bark” — the mass murders that were planned but never occurred — happened in places like the Appalachian School of Law or Pearl High School in Mississippi.  In these places, citizens with guns stopped horrific crimes.

South Dakota could soon join them on the list of states where people are allowed to exercise their constitutional rights to protect themselves without asking “May I?” from the government.

ACTION: Urge your state representative to cosponsor and support House Bill 1116.

HOW TO CONTACT-WRITE YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE.

1. Go here to identify your state Representative.

2. Go here to draft a letter to your Representative.  You can cut-n-paste the pre-written letter below for your convenience.

—– Pre-written letter —–

Dear Representative:

Please cosponsor and support House Bill 1116, introduced by state Rep. Jim Stalzer.

The concept of “constitutional carry” is simple:  An individual’s ability to exercise his or her Second Amendment rights shouldn’t depend on a “permit” from the government.

You don’t need a government license to write a book.  So why should you have to get the government’s okay in order to carry a firearm to protect yourself and your family?

Currently, Americans in Vermont, Alaska, Wyoming, Arizona, Arkansas, and most of Montana can carry a firearm without a government license.  Lest anyone fail to notice, these are not exactly high-crime areas as a result of their diligence for the constitutional rights of their citizens.  In fact, these are some of the safest places in America.

House Bill 1116 would add South Dakota to that illustrious list of Constitution-loving states.

Make no mistake about it.  Under House Bill 1116, if a criminal carried a gun in connection with a crime, he has committed a crime and is going to prison.

But that’s just the point:  If law enforcement is allowed to focus on the “bad guys,” rather than the enforcement of silly counter-productive, unconstitutional nitpicking, crime will go down.

Crime will also go down if criminals have to consider the possibility that their victims could be armed and could shoot back. It’s no surprise that the “dog that didn’t bark” — the mass murders that were planned but never occurred — happened in places like the Appalachian School of Law or Pearl High School in Mississippi.  In these places, citizens with guns stopped horrific crimes.

South Dakota could soon join them on the list of states where people are allowed to exercise their constitutional rights to protect themselves without asking “May I?” from the government.

Again, please cosponsor HB 1116.

Sincerely,