Johnson, Rounds Re-Introduce Firearm Access Bill for RV-ers, Active-Duty Military

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) re-introduced the Traveler’s Gun Rights Act. The legislation strengthens Second Amendment rights to allow law-abiding RV-ers, active-duty military, military spouses, and others who rely on a P.O. Box for their primary mailing address to obtain a firearm.

Currently, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) requires Americans purchasing a firearm to fill out paperwork listing an address. However, the ATF prohibits buyers from listing a P.O. Box or Private Mailbox (PMB) on this form. This prohibition unfairly hurts full-time travelers, many of whom live in their RV year-round and utilize a P.O. Box or PMB in order to receive mail. These alternate addresses can be listed on driver’s licenses, but they cannot be used on the ATF paperwork.

“Just because a law-abiding citizen relies on a P.O. Box as their primary address doesn’t mean their Second Amendment rights should be limited,” said Johnson. “South Dakota is home to many RV-ers and active-duty military who have this problem when trying to obtain a firearm. My bill seeks to correct that.”

“As a supporter of the Second Amendment, I am committed to protecting the rights of lawful gun owners,” said Rounds. “The Traveler’s Gun Rights Act removes an unfair prohibition facing Americans with unique living situations. This legislation will make certain that law-abiding citizens do not face a burdensome roadblock when trying to exercise their Second Amendment rights.”

“Americans, especially our active-duty military members, should never be denied the full spectrum of their Second Amendment rights simply because they use a post office box address instead of a physical address,” said Lawrence G. Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for National Shooting Sports Foundation, The Firearm Industry Trade Association. “This legislation is a simple fix to an overlooked problem that unfortunately disenfranchises law-abiding citizens of their ability to lawfully purchase a firearm. It still requires all the safeguards to ensure firearms remain out of the hands of those who should never possess them. Congressman Dusty Johnson’s leadership on the Traveler’s Gun Rights Act to ensure those with unique living situations are not denied their rights is commendable.”

“For many Americans, traveling full-time is a way of life,” said Brian Calabrese, Managing Director for Federal Affairs, National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action. Unfortunately, ATF does not recognize P.O. Boxes as a legal point of residence the way the IRS does, effectively rescinding the constitutionally protected Second Amendment rights of those who travel full-time. The NRA thanks Rep. Dusty Johnson for his work to close this loophole and protect the rights of those who travel this great country.”

Johnson’s legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Jake LaTurner (R-KS), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Scott Perry (R-PA), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Don Bacon (R-NE), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), and Chris Stewart (R-UT).

Rounds’ Senate companion supported by U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Roger Marshall (R-KS), James Risch (R-ID), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Mike Braun (R-IN).

Read full bill text here.

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They’ve done it again and for a third time there was no second. Motion dies. https://t.co/RzZoYfeQuv

— Annie Todd (@AnnieTodd96) March 8, 2023

You’ll have to filter through the rhetoric of the article coming from the website for the far-left Mother Jones publication, but in an article filed today by the magazine, South Dakota State Representative Fred Deutsch is the subject of a report which seems to credit him as being the father of the legislative movement across the country to ban transgender procedures on minors:

On a Saturday afternoon in August 2019, South Dakota Republican state Rep. Fred Deutsch sent an email to 18 anti-trans activists, doctors, and lawyers with the text of a bill he planned to introduce that would make it a felony for doctors to give transgender children under 16 gender-affirming medical care. “I have no doubt this will be an uphill battle when we get to session,” Deutsch warned the group.

and..

“It was like Deutsch assembled a team of Navy SEALs—we were all trained killers in a specialty,” says Elisa Rae Shupe, a retired US Army soldier who became a vocal anti-trans advocate and participated in Deutsch’s working group after detransitioning.

and..

From the South Dakota Banker’s Association, a good review on why some of the opposition to HB 1193 is misguided …at best:

Before we wrap up this session, I find it imperative to set the record straight and correct the false claims being made regarding HB 1193, “An Act to Amend Provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC).”

To understand what the bill aims to do, it is important to understand the UCC and its purpose. The UCC is the product of law commissioners from each state who serve together on the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) to develop uniform, model acts, or state laws, for adoption by state legislatures. It is not federal law, nor is it developed by the federal government. Let me be clear, these 2022 amendments to the UCC are drafted by the ULC for adoption in states across the nation, and by doing so, it keeps Congress from imposing federal laws into areas where states should be sovereign.

The UCC serves as the backbone of United States’ commerce, giving all Americans the legal infrastructure necessary to have confidence when conducting business in South Dakota and across state lines. The UCC provides commercial law for broad categories of transactions: the sale or lease of goods, negotiable instruments, bank deposits and collections, funds transfers, letters of credit, documents of title, investment property, and secured transactions in personal property. The UCC has been in place in South Dakota (SD) since the 1960s, and adoption of the UCC by every state has allowed the development of strong interstate markets.

The UCC has been revised in SD and by other state legislatures over the years at the recommendation of the Uniform Law Commission and American Law Institute to reflect the economy’s shift from a largely goods-based economy toward an economy that includes services, software, and information-based transactions. The latest updates, the 2022 amendments, will accommodate and “identify” emerged and emerging technologies such as distributed ledger technology (known as “blockchain”), and artificial intelligence. The amendments were drafted over a multi-year process with many open sessions. These amendments bring the UCC into the digital age by adding a new Article addressing digital assets and providing commercial law rules for the transfer and leveraging of virtual currencies and certain other digital assets. Adoption of the 2022 UCC amendments by all states will bring uniformity and clarity to the current law and allow certainty when transacting business with digital assets across state lines. Nothing in the UCC 2022 amendments prevents anyone from deciding what means of exchange to use or what transactions to enter.

and..

Here are the facts: The opposition to HB 1193 is claiming that the updated UCC is, “…the greatest threat to our personal liberty and privacy we’ve faced in a generation.” This belief is simply untrue and misguided. The UCC establishes interstate commerce, allowing the playing field of the market to remain fair, level, and as South Dakotans can attest, open. Failure to adopt the 2022 amendments jeopardizes South Dakota’s ability to remain competitive in commerce and fair market trade, negating everything we’ve stood for in South Dakota for decades. You can “bank on” the facts, not the political theatre.

Read the entire article here.

Just caught this announcement. Republican Clay County State’s Attorney Alexis Tracy is moving to the Attorney General’s office starting on June 1.

Clay County State’s Attorney Alexis Tracy to Join South Dakota Attorney General’s Office

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced that Clay County State’s Attorney Alexis Tracy has been hired as an assistant attorney general for his office.

“Alexis Tracy has proven herself to be a well-balanced attorney who can handle both criminal and civil cases,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Her experience will serve this office well.”

Tracy has been an attorney for 17 years and has been a prosecuting attorney for more than 16 years. She was first elected as Clay County State’s Attorney in 2016 and was re-elected in 2020.

Alexis currently serves as President of the South Dakota State’s Attorney’s Association; and serves on the Legislative Committee for the Association.  Since 2017, she has served as part of STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors), a grant-funded multidisciplinary state training team providing curriculum and education to prosecutors, law enforcement, and victim advocates in response to crimes of domestic violence and sexual assault.  Alexis was appointed to the South Dakota Open Meetings Commission in 2019.  She is a member of the National District Attorney’s Association and the Clay County Child Protection Team.

“I want to thank the Clay County Commission and the people of Clay County for the opportunity to serve them,” she said. “I look forward to serving them, and the rest of South Dakota, in this new capacity.”

Alexis Tracy is scheduled to join the Attorney General’s office in Sioux Falls June 1.

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Thune Discusses Disastrous Situation at U.S. Southern Border

“Border Patrol agents told me that not only do they not feel supported by the Biden administration, they feel like the Biden administration has actually impeded their ability to do their jobs.”

Click here or on the picture above to watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about his recent trip to the Rio Grande Valley at the U.S. southern border.

Casey Crabtree’s Weekly Column: Listening to Constituents

MADISON–The second to last workweek in Pierre found lawmakers focusing on the issues I most often hear about from the people of District 8–lower taxes, workforce development and public safety. Throughout the past several weeks, I have heard ideas and concerns from people throughout the region, and I am proud that the Senate has delivered on its promises.

I am committed to passing tax relief to South Dakotans this year. On Wednesday, I proposed a property tax rebate for South Dakota homeowners. HB 1141 would offer South Dakota homeowners up to $425 in property tax relief each year. If passed by the House and approved by the governor, this amounts to the largest tax relief in South Dakota history at $104 million per year. The Senate and House are also continuing discussions on sales tax reduction. Based on strong revenue projections, I believe we can get the state’s obligations and let our residents keep more of their money in their pocket.

South Dakota’s economy is cooking. But we need more workers to keep the engine roaring, especially well-trained, highly-skilled people. That’s what I regularly hear from the leaders of small businesses and large operations alike. This week, the Senate approved HB 1039 National Guard free tuition at 100 percent at state universities and technical colleges. We are still in discussions to freeze tuition at state institutions. These are top priorities for me because they are important to South Dakota’s future.

On Thursday, the Senate concurred with the House’s changes to the Truth and Sentencing Bill (SB 146). Supported by police chiefs, sheriffs and mayors, this bill aims to keep violent criminals off the streets and protect South Dakota families.

The Madison Elementary School 4th graders and Deubrook High Schoolers visited the Capitol this week and learned about the legislative process. It was great to see these future leaders show such interest in how the state government operates. I was also honored with a visit from my parents, Ken and Cinda, this week. Two District 8 students concluded two-weeks of service as legislative pages. A big thank you to Greta Larson from Lake Preston and Gabrielle Rebelein from Sioux Valley High School. Both represented their families and schools well during their time in Pierre. Thank you!

Next week (this week) is the final workweek for the 2023 legislative session, and we are on track to pass a balanced budget with some incredible one-time investments in the future of the state. As the session winds down, I continue to be confident that South Dakota’s best lie ahead.

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Attorney General, DCI Rule Rapid City Police Officer Shooting Justified

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced that a Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) review has determined that a Rapid City Police officer was justified in the shooting death of a man during a hostage situation on Feb. 3, 2023.

“This was a fast-moving, tense situation where the suspect presented a clear and present danger to the public and the officer,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Only when the suspect ran at the officer with a knife in hand, did the officer fire their weapon.”

The incident began when the officer responded to a reported armed robbery in progress at a Rapid City business. When the officer arrived, they encountered Erik James Wright outside of the business holding a clerk at knife point.

Wright separated himself from the hostage but refused the officer’s commands to drop the knife. Wright ran towards the officer with two knives in his possession and was shot multiple times by the officer. Police officers rendered medical aid to Wright who was transported to a Rapid City hospital where he later died.

Video and audio recordings, interviews of officers and witnesses, and examination of evidence by the South Dakota Forensic Laboratory corroborated the findings of DCI investigators and the officer’s account that they faced a clear and present danger and that there was danger to the public and police. Wright had alcohol in his system and was on parole after being released from prison in January, 2023.

The Attorney General and the Division of Criminal Investigation would like to thank the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Custer County Sheriff’s Office, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota Forensic Laboratory their assistance. The Rapid City Police Department cooperated with the investigation.

The summary of the incident can be found here.

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In the middle of legislative proceedings, again, Senators Pischke and Frye-Mueller attempted a nutty motion to convene a committee on discipline and expulsion to attack Senator Lee Schoenbeck for “Disparaging comments,” again, as part of the investigation of JFM for her creepy comments to a legislative employee.

Predictably, it died for lack of a second. Again.

I have the feeling those two chuckleheads are not going to be invited back to caucus anytime soon.

After a short in-state work period back home in South Dakota, we hit the ground running in Washington as we prepared for our next five weeks in session. Now that our Capitol and Senate office buildings are back open, we’re seeing pre-pandemic levels of visitors in DC. And let me tell you – it is good to have regular South Dakotans here advocating on behalf of issues that affect South Dakota. I had lots of South Dakotans in my office this week, talking about everything from veterans to rural energy to radio and TV broadcasting. We also snuck in a couple hearings, classified briefings and speaking engagements, as well. Here’s my Weekly Round[s] Up:

South Dakota groups I visited with: Members of the South Dakota American Legion, Missouri River Energy Services, South Dakota’s Disabled American Veterans chapter, South Dakota’s NASA Space Grant Consortium and NASA EPSCoR Program, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Chairman Ryman LeBeau, South Dakota Broadcasters Association, South Dakota Department of Transportation Secretary Joel Jundt and the South Dakota Civil Air Patrol.

Meetings this past week: Gen. Paul Nakasone, Commander of US Cyber Command. I also spoke at the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals Convention, as well as the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Task Force.

I attended our weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast. Former South Dakota Senator Larry Pressler was our speaker this week. While our prayer breakfast is mainly comprised of current members of the United States Senate, we also keep the door open for former members of the upper chamber as well.

Met with South Dakotans from: Aberdeen, Beresford, Blackhawk, Brookings, Chamberlain, Chester, Dell Rapids, Eagle Butte, Garretson, Gregory, Milbank, Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Spearfish, Vermillion, Watertown and Yankton.

Topics discussed: Opportunities for partnership between tribes in South Dakota and the federal government, artificial intelligence’s impact on the broadcast journalism industry and the ways Congress can help South Dakota’s veterans.

Legislation introduced: A bipartisan group of my colleagues and I introduced the DAIRY PRIDE Act this past week, a piece of legislation that would combat the unfair practice of misleading labeling of non-dairy products using dairy names. You can read more about that here.

I also introduced bipartisan legislation to expand veterans’ access to assisted living services. The Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act would create a pilot program for eligible veterans to receive assisted living care paid for by the VA. You can read more about that here.

Votes taken: 15 – most notably was our vote on Wednesday to eliminate a rule that would encourage fiduciaries of retirement investment plans to consider environmental, social and governance factors when making investment decisions. I voted to repeal this rule.

Hearings: I had four hearings: One was in the Banking committee, titled “Advancing National Security and Foreign Policy Through Sanctions, Export Controls, and Other Economic Tools.” I had the opportunity to ask the witnesses about the threat of foreign ownership of American farmland and the need for my bipartisan legislation the PASS Act. You can watch a clip of that here.

I also had a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Ukraine, as well as two hearings in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Classified briefings: I had two classified briefings: Our bi-weekly cyber education briefing and a Senate Armed Services Committee briefing.

My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Fort Pierre, Kadoka, Mitchell, Piedmont, Rapid City and Wall.

Steps taken this week: 56,891 steps or 25.87 miles.