Yesterday, SB 118, Constitutional Carry, was defeated due to several Senators reversing their initial vote of support on the bill. Two of the Senators who flip-flopped were Senators Patrick Connick (SD-8) and Louie Bernard (SD-31). These two actually had the nerve to speak on the Senate floor to try to explain their reason for betraying the Second Amendment. They admitted they did not do their “research” when they voted the first time in support of your right to carry. Apparently, this “research” entailed meeting with rogue, anti-gun sheriffs in their districts and succumbing to their pressure.
The other two who don’t support expanding your self-defense options were Republican Senator Franklin Foil (SD-16) and Democrat Senator Gary Smith (SD-19).
Our freedom is dependent on preserving our Constitution and we now know these four Senators cannot be trusted. We cannot, and will not, let others pick and choose which parts of the Bill of Rights they would like to follow, and we will continue our fight next legislative session to ensure we keep that freedom.
Thank you to the bill sponsor, Senator Jay Morris (SD-35), for his hard work, and to those Senators who stood up to the bullying and were resolute in their support of the right to self-defense. Thank you, also, to those members and Second Amendment supporters who called, emailed, and attended the rally. Without you we could not have gotten this far.
