South Dakota Republican Governor Larry Rhoden signed multiple pieces of legislation on Monday meant to protect Second Amendment liberties in certain limited fashions and cases.
The bills signed by Rhoden allowed for some concealed carry on university campuses, loosened restrictions on firearm carry for county officials, and regulated concealed carry near elementary and secondary schools. Rhoden claimed the bills support the right to bear arms.
“One of my favorite things about South Dakota is how free we are, especially when it comes to the freedom to keep and bear arms,” Rhoden asserted in a statement about the legislation. “We have taken greater actions to defend our Second Amendment rights than any other state.”
The first measure clarified that public universities cannot limit the carrying, possession, or storage of concealed pistols, provided that the owner has “an enhanced permit, a restricted enhanced permit, or a reciprocal permit.” The bill also applies to stun guns, as well as chemical irritants like mace and pepper spray, but requires all weapons to be stored in a locked case.
South Dakota law nevertheless requires enhanced permit holders to submit their fingerprints for an FBI background check and to offer proof that the applicant finished a firearm safety course.
The second bill said county commissioners cannot restrict county, municipal, or township employees from “lawfully possessing any concealed firearm and compatible ammunition, while the individual is within any county building” or on property owned by the county government.
The third statute banned the carrying of firearms or lookalike firearms near public primary and secondary schools, but made exceptions in some cases, such as for police officers, people who have completed a school sentinel training course, or individuals over the age of twenty-one with enhanced permits and “written permission from the principal of the school” to carry the weapon.
Rhoden formerly served as Lieutenant Governor and has been in office for roughly two months, recently replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when she resigned to take the role.
