South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem told Newsmax on Thursday that her state was leading the charge in defending Americans' Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Joining "Eric Bolling The Balance," the Republican governor contrasted her state to Washington under Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee and his recently-signed "assault weapons" ban, affecting AR-15s and AK-47s.
"We all know that Inslee is one of those left-leaning, socialist governors that oppresses his people," she explained. "That's just not our story here in South Dakota. So, I'm proud that we're the most Second Amendment state in the country."
Noem pointed out that she oversaw constitutional carry coming into law and waived all fees for obtaining firearms permits, even going as far as to "pay for the federal background check for folks."
"So, the exact opposite of what's going on in Washington state, and I would say our people are benefiting from it," Noem argued. "We've got the best economy. Incomes going up faster than anywhere else, and people are moving here by the thousands."
Noem recently signed an executive order barring the state from doing business with banks and financial institutions that refuse to do business with gun manufacturers.
According to the governor, the move was in response to decisions by some large banks to withhold funds, cancel loans, or hold firearm makers "to a different standard than how the left is treated."
"Our state will continue to lead by example," Noem declared, emphasizing that "We have broken records in the amount of people that have moved to South Dakota.
"And they've moved here because they know that we value their Bill of Rights — that we value our Constitution that we live by," she added.
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