South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden is signing three bills into law that chip away at some of the last frontier of gun free zones in the state.
The Republican governor signed the bills in Mitchell on Monday.
“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,” said Gov. Larry Rhoden in a press 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.”
One law allows concealed carry permit holders have pistols in the vehicles in school parking lots.
Another allows city and county employees to carry a concealed pistol at work. Lawmakers in the Republican supermajority state Legislature added a last-minute amendment to the bill that repeals the prohibition of concealed pistols in bars.
A third law allows college students and staff with enhanced concealed carry permits to have a firearm on campuses.
In 2019, state lawmakers removed any permit requirements to carry a concealed pistol.
Rhoden has signed 157 bills, so far, and vetoed only one. House lawmakers failed to override that veto over a week ago.
Lawmakers are scheduled to consider any other vetoes next Monday, when they will officially close out the 2025 legislative session.
