A bill has been introduced in the South Dakota legislature that would require all able-bodied residents to purchase a firearm, the Argus Leader reports.
The measure, which would take effect on January 1st, 2012, would give all South Dakotan adults 6 months to acquire a gun “suitable to their temperament, physical capacity, and preference.”
According to the bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Hal Wick, the bill has no chance of passage. He says he introduced it to prove that last year’s federal health care law is unconstitutional.
“Do I or the other cosponsors believe that the State of South Dakota can require citizens to buy firearms? Of course not,” he said. “But at the same time, we do not believe the federal government can order every citizen to buy health insurance.”