South Dakota Advances Constitutional Carry Bill

By Tom Knighton

While we shouldn’t need it, at this point, we do.

I’m talking about constitutional carry, which is the Holy Grail for state carry laws. Once a state has constitutional carry, also called “permitless carry,” then they start to resemble the kind of place our Founding Fathers envisioned when it came to firearms. The phrase “shall not be infringed” doesn’t and has never meant “get a permit.”

In South Dakota, that ideal condition is one step closer.

A Senate panel on Thursday approved a measure that would allow people to carry concealed handguns without a permit in South Dakota, advancing a conservative priority that supporters hope will be achieved under new Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-3 to send the bill to the full chamber. A similar proposal passed the Legislature in 2017 before being vetoed by former Gov. Dennis Daugaard, but Noem offered support for a so-called constitutional carry law during her campaign.

Noem said Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden met Thursday at her request with gun-rights advocates, law enforcement, community leaders and lawmakers about firearms legislation. The meeting was intended to discuss priorities and how to find agreement by the end of the 2019 session, she said.

“I’ve supported …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms