PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The state House approved a bill Thursday that would allow people who can legally carry a concealed handgun in South Dakota to do so without a permit.
South Dakota representatives voted 37-30 to send the bill to the Senate. It’s currently a misdemeanor for someone to carry a concealed pistol or to have one concealed in a vehicle without a permit.
Republican Rep. Lynne DiSanto, the main sponsor, said her measure is about freedom, adding that requiring a permit only penalizes legal and rightful gun owners.
“The bad guy is going to have a gun no matter what,” House Majority Leader Lee Qualm said. “He could give a rip about the rules.”
A constitutional carry bill passed through the House in 2015, but died in a Senate committee. GOP Gov. Dennis Daugaard has threatened to veto this year’s legislation if approved, praising South Dakota’s gun laws as reasonable.
The governor’s opposition means trouble for the proposal, which didn’t receive the two-thirds support required for a potential veto override. The Senate was considering a similar bill, but voted to table it.
At the end of December, there were roughly 96,000 active regular and enhanced permits issued in South Dakota, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
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