Legislation to allow the campus carry of firearms for self-defense has passed the South Dakota Senate and is moving to the House.
Bearing Arms noted that the bill passed the Senate last week by a vote of 33-2.
The legislation, Senate Bill 100, is sponsored by state Sen. Mykayla Voita (R).
South Dakota Public Broadcasting pointed out that the bill to allow defensive carry on campus was opposed by state Sen. Jamie Smith (D), who framed her opposition thusly: “Everybody doesn’t agree that this is fixed to where we want it to be. There are many South Dakotans that don’t hold that same view. We need to acknowledge them, and at least let them know that there are people in the building that represent them too.”
Some gun-free zones were added to Voita’s bill in order to help with its passage in the Senate, Bearing Arms observed. Those gun-free zones exist in “a clearly designated portion of a building or structure” where the following are present:
- More than fifty-five gallons of flammable liquid
- Significant quantities of hazardous materials
- Cylinders containing corrosive, reactive, flammable, toxic, or oxidizer gases
- Cylinders of acetylene gas
- Magnetic resonance imaging equipment or nuclear magnetic resonance equipment
- Rooms used for manufacturing or scientific research, if the concentration of airborne particles is controlled in order to maintain an environment with minimal pollutants
- Clearly designated portions of a building or structure to which a facility security clearance applies or for which a federal security clearance is required
- Buildings or structures during a special event, provided metal detectors and armed security personnel are present at every public entrance to restrict the possession of any dangerous weapon
Campus carry is the law of the land in at least 11 states, according to Campus Safety Magazine. Those states are Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Campus carry became legal in Colorado in 2003, but Democrat lawmakers in the state decided to prohibit campus carry for self-defense beginning July 1, 2024.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, a Pulsar Night Vision pro-staffer, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly:
