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Senate Hoghouse Resolution On Gun Suicide For NRA Data

SDPB

The South Dakota Senate is rejecting a concurrent resolution about suicide by guns, and instead approving National Rifle Association talking points.

It’s a concurrent resolution to recognize the importance of gun safety.

It states there were nearly 800 firearm suicides from 2004 to 2015 in South Dakota. In 2017, almost thirty more South Dakotans died by firearms than overdoses.

Democratic State Senator Reynold Nesiba is the sponsor of the original resolution. He says the state spends a lot of money on opioid awareness, but ignores gun suicide deaths.

“South Dakota has this long and proud heritage of gun ownership,” Nesiba says. “My own father, Leonard Nesiba, was a life long NRA member, gun owner. He taught me a lot about gun safety and maintenance, as well as how to hunt coyotes, deer and pheasants. But, it’s really hard for us to have a conversation about what I see as a public health hazard.”

But that’s not what Senators voted on. Sioux Falls Republican Jim Stalzer completely overhauled the resolution with National Rifle Association Institute For Legislative Actiontalking points. Those state that gun accident deaths decreased by 95 percent since 1903.

The concurrent resolution now heads to the South Dakota House.

South Dakota residents can call2-1-1 if they’ve considered suicide.