I can say with absolute certainty that Senator Stan Adelstein has always had the greatest respect for the right of Americans to own firearms.

I should know.

I'm his son.

I will always cherish the gift my father gave me on my 10th birthday – a Weatherby .22 caliber rifle. The afternoons my dad and I spent together target shooting at the quarry are some of my fondest childhood memories.

My father taught me that the rules of firearms safety are always to be respected

and, through his instruction, I became a pretty good junior marksman.

He, too, was a marksman, captain of the pistol team in the 116th Engineers.

My father's example served me well during the year I spent in competition as a member of the West Point pistol team, and later, as a commander of a Special Forces company in the U.S. Army. During 29 years of service as an Army officer I fired weapons more times than I can remember, but I never once forgot the lessons my father taught me.

The right to bear arms is cherished in South Dakota.

It was true when I was growing up, and it still is today.

In order to ensure that this fundamental American right is always protected, we need leaders in the South Dakota Legislature, like my father, who are staunch supporters of the Second Amendment.

LT. COLONEL (RET.) DANIEL J. ADELSTEIN