South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gets personalized flamethrower as Christmas gift from staff

Annie Todd, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read
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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem got a fire Christmas gift from her staff −literally.

Noem received a Pulsefire LRT flamethrower with an engraved plate of the state's motto "Under God, the people rule," according to Ian Fury, her communications director.

A video posted Sunday to Twitter shows the second-term governor lighting up a pile of cardboard while wearing camo snow pants and a camo jacket in a wintery farm landscape.

A Pulsefire LRT costs about $650, according to MidSouth Shooters, an ammunitions company based in Tennessee.

Fury said no taxpayer dollars were used in the purchase.

The gift comes two years after Noem went viral for a Twitter post of her holding a flamethrower with the caption, "Is it too late to add something to my Christmas list?"

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Some people on social media have critiqued the gift, saying at the same time Noem was disposing of her trash, thousands of Native Americans living on the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations were trapped due to harsh winter conditions without heat.

Citizens living in Pine Ridge were forced to burn clothing as propane gas deliveries had stopped and there was no accessible firewood, according to the Rapid City Journal. A state of emergency was declared by the Oglala Sioux Tribe during the winter storm.

At least one person, a 12-year-old child, from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe died, because they were unable to receive medical treatment.

In response to the criticism, Fury pointed the Argus Leader to a list of how the Department of Public Safety has helped tribes during the winter storm. Such efforts included clearing roads on the Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservations, coordinating transport for more than 40 dialysis patients to Rapid City, helping stranded drivers and delivering food, firewood and propane to communities.

Before the Christmas holiday, Noem also declared a state of emergency for South Dakota and activated the National Guard to bring firewood to the Rosebud Tribe and the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SD Gov. Kristi Noem gifted flamethrower for Christmas from staff