South Dakota University System Formally Changes Gun Policy for Campuses

It’s weird how university systems in a state can have such different views of things compared to the state as a whole. It’s weird, but it’s not shocking. Academia has a lot of opinions that seem nearly universal throughout academia, but have little to do with the state that pays their salaries, and that especially includes guns.

Most favor gun control, believing the halls of academia should be unsullied by the presence of a firearm.

Unfortunately for them, people looking to kill don’t really care about their beliefs, and as such, people need the ability to defend themselves. In South Dakota, the harsh reality of state politics has forced the university system to…adjust their attitudes, which it’s now formally done.

The South Dakota Board of Regents approved a policy on Thursday in Brookings allowing people with enhanced permits to carry concealed pistols on the state’s public university campuses.

“This is something that we don’t take lightly,” said Regents Executive Director Nathan Lukkes. 

The policy was necessitated by a law that took effect July 1, after lawmakers approved it during this year’s winter legislative session in Pierre. The prior policy prohibited guns and other dangerous weapons on campuses.

Under the new policy, a person must have an enhanced concealed-carry permit to carry a concealed handgun on campus. The permits require a background check and completion of a handgun safety course, and are available to people as young as 18.

When firearms aren’t being carried, they have to be locked up, as does any ammunition, which is probably for the best when dealing with students living in dorms, though I still don’t like it being mandated.

Also, there are standards in place for certain areas to be gun-free zones, which I’m not surprised to hear of.

Still, the university system has had to adapt because the law is what it is.

Yet, after the shooting at FSU not that long ago, it should be a reminder that gun-free campuses aren’t realistic. Anyone who wants to kill will ignore those rules, and there’s literally nothing you can do about it until they start pulling the trigger. By then, it’s too late unless someone there also has a gun and can meet that threat.

The real shame here is that it took an act of the legislature to force the change.

They didn’t do it because the regents realized it would save lives. It didn’t happen because they recognized that students had a right to keep and bear arms. They didn’t do it because they understood that gun-free zone signs only impact those who pay attention to the rules.

No, they did it because they had to, and that’s the shame of it all.

It’s better than nothing, but it’s still not what we should hope for in this country.

Yes, I’ll take it. I’ll take any win.

Right now, as I write this for your enjoyment, though, what win I’d really like to see is a win that results in changes because people woke up to the reality of how guns save lives.

Quixotic, I know, but I can’t help myself.

Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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