South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden on Monday signed a trio of gun rights bills, according to a news release from his office.
The three bills—one from the Senate and two from the House—expanded the ability to carry concealed while on the campus of a public institution of higher learning, addresses the imposition of firearm restrictions on certain employees, officers, volunteers, and other individuals, and expands the authorized carrying, possession, and storage of a concealed pistol.
The brief signing ceremony was held at Boyd’s Gunstock in Mitchell during Gov. Rhoden’s “Open for Opportunity” tour.
“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,” Gov. Rhoden said in a news release. “We have taken greater actions to defend our Second Amendment rights than any other state. As long as I am Governor, I will continue to defend this basic constitutional freedom.”
The bills Rhoden signed were:
- SB 100 limit the imposition of restrictions on the carrying of a concealed pistol and other items of self-defense while on the campus of a public institution of higher education.
- HB 1218 address the imposition of firearm restrictions on certain employees, officers, volunteers, and other individuals.
- HB 1222 expand the authorized carrying, possession, and storage of a concealed pistol.
Rhoden succeeded Gov. Kristi Noem when she stepped down to join the Donald Trump administration as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.
In a related action, Gov. Rhoden on Monday sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Acting ATF Director Kash Patel, “), asking them to eliminate the seven-day waiting period to purchase a firearm or associated accessories, including silencers, over state lines.”
The letter may be read here.
According to Rhoden’s office, the governor’s request “is in response to President Trump’s executive order ‘Protecting Second Amendment Rights’ in which he orders AG Bondi to ‘examine all orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens.’”
According to his office, Gov. Rhoden visited Silencer Central, the nation’s largest manufacturer and distributer of firearms suppressors. During his visit, CEO Brandon Maddox informed him that an outdated federal rule from the 1960s is imposing an arbitrary seven-day waiting period before they can ship their products. Rhoden’s letter specifically asks Bondi and Patel to review the current statute and eliminate the seven-day waiting period.
“In South Dakota, we treasure the Second Amendment,” Rhoden said in a news release. “We have taken greater actions to defend this basic constitutional freedom than any other state. And we are glad to have allies in the Trump Administration who are eager to advance this freedom for the American people.”
