South Dakota Governor Smacks Down Permitless Concealed Carry

PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA — Gov. Dennis Daugaard warned legislators when two bills progressed through the state’s House and Senate. While South Dakota is a conservative state, he didn’t want to see any loosening of the restrictions on gun owners and their right to carry. Last week, he vetoed both of them when they made it to his desk.

via the Washington Post

“As a longtime member of the NRA, I support the right to bear arms,” Daugaard said in his veto letter for the permitless carry bill. “It is paramount that our state protect the rights of our citizens while at the same time protecting the lives of our citizens. I believe our current laws appropriately protect both interests, and I ask that you sustain my veto.”

If the two bills were made into law, they would have allowed constitutional permitless carry for residents and the right for residents with an enhanced permit to carry inside Capitol buildings so long as they registered with security beforehand.

Both were shot down. Now House and Senate legislators plan to override the veto — which will require a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate.

While some legislators came out and lambasted the governor over his decision, it’s important to note that not everyone shares in the belief that concealed carry should be permitless.

Many conservative voices argue that the permitting process requires some fundamental, basic safe guards such as a background investigation, fingerprinting, and mandatory firearm education.

Gov. Daugaard seems to agree.

Quite a few states have joined the permitless movement in just the past two years. Maine, New Hampshire, and West Virginia are among many who believe a person’s right to carry concealed is a constitutionally protected right that shall not be infringed. So long as a person has the legal capacity to carry a gun — not a prior felon, not under indictment or wanted for domestic abuse incidences — then he or she should determine the level of education and training necessary to carry and do so.

That is a political opinion that is not shared by the majority of states in this nation. The vast majority have a permitting process that is ‘shall issue’ based upon set criteria such as training and background checks.

There is the argument that state-mandated training requirements don’t nearly come close to ensuring every gun owner has a good fundamental understanding of his state’s laws and the proper, safe usage of that gun. However, by mandating at least some education requirement, you can guarantee that the gun owner heard that information at least once.

I am personally in favor of permitless carry. I have my pistol and revolver license in the State of New Hampshire even though the state is now permitless. I tend to think that until such a time as national reciprocity takes effect, it just makes sense to keep a permit. Unfortunately, in South Dakota, those residents will have to stick to the old ways of getting a permit before they carry concealed.