South Dakota state legislators petition red flag laws

26 state legislators have signed a petition opposing red flag laws in South Dakota.

That petition has been sent to President Trump, Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, as well as Representative Dusty Johnson.

Red flag laws have already been enacted by 17 states, soon they could be implemented across the nation.

The idea of red flag laws has some South Dakota state legislators concerned.

"These laws grossly violate a lot of law abiding citizen's due process and other constitutional rights," South Dakota Sen., Stace Nelson, said.

Others say the laws are a step in the right direction.

"I think these red flag laws are worth looking at," South Dakota Rep., Jamie Smith, said.

The petition sent against implementing red flag laws in the state says red flag laws don't solve the core problems contributing to mass murders.

"You can say it's not going to work, but until you try something to avert what's going on in our country we'd be sitting here not doing anything," said Smith.

While both Nelson and Smith agree these mass shooting incidents are horrifying, they have different opinions on how the issue should be handled.

The bipartisan proposal by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., would create a federal grant program that would encourage states to adopt red flag laws.