South Dakota Regents Finally Adopt Campus Carry Policy

When the fall semester kicks off at South Dakota’s public universities in less than a month, there’ll be at least one big change awaiting students and staff when they return to campus. Orientation materials will now include guidance on lawful carry, because for the first time, lawful gun owners who possess an enhanced carry permit or an out-of-state carry license recognized by South Dakota will be able to lawfully carry in many on-campus locations. 

Earlier this year Gov. Larry Rhoden signed SB 100 into law, establishing a legal way for folks to bear arms on the state’s public colleges, universities and technical schools. Though the law took effect on July 1, the South Dakota Board of Regents didn’t get around to adopting its own campus carry policy in accordance with the statute until last week. 

Pistols and ammunition must be stored in a locked case or safe when not being carried. The policy sets standards for schools to designate restricted spaces and rules for special events, establishes signage requirements, and addresses storage rules for dormitories. It also requires members of the public using campus facilities to adhere to the same regulations. “

The safety and well-being of our students and campus communities remains at the forefront, and we wanted to make sure that we were very thoughtful, very intentional, on the policy framework that we put together to do that to the best of our abilities,” [Regents Executive Director Nathan] Lukkes said.

Students who live on campus and want to carry will have to provide their own locking case or safe, which seems fair. The new law also allows for the lawful carry of stun guns, mace or pepper spray in addition to or instead of a firearm, with no enhanced carry license required for those items. That’s also a common sense provision, and it allows those who aren’t comfortable carrying a lethal weapon to choose a non-lethal way to protect themselves on campus. 

The few areas off-limits to lawful carry include areas where “significant quantities of hazardous materials” are present; rooms magnetic resonance imaging equipment or nuclear magnetic resonance equipment; “clean” rooms used for manufacturing or scientific research; “clearly designated” portions of buildings where either a facility or federal security clearance is required to enter; and buildings hosting special events, provided that metal detectors and armed security personnel are present at every public entrance. 

The policy adopted by the Board of Regents applies to the six public universities in the state. South Dakota’s four public technical schools also fall under the scope of the new law, but according to xecutive director of the South Dakota Board of Technical Institution those schools will come up with their own policies instead of adopting a single policy that applies systemwide. 

Thanks to the efforts of Sen. Mykala Voita and her colleagues, this is arguably the strongest campus carry law in the nation. While opponents have complained that the policy will impact the classroom environment and interactions between students and faculty, we have seen no evidence of that in any of the other ten states that explicitly allow for concealed carry on public campuses. If it hasn’t been a problem there, it’s not going to be a problem in South Dakota either.