PIERRE (AP) – The state House failed Monday to override Gov. Dennis Daugaard's vetoes of a pair of bills that would have loosened restrictions on carrying concealed guns in conservative South Dakota.
The Legislature met for the final day of the 2017 legislative session and accepted five vetoes from Daugaard. The two highest-profile override attempts were on measures that would have allowed guns in the state Capitol and let people carry concealed handguns without a permit.
Neither gun bill received the two-thirds support required to overturn a gubernatorial veto. Daugaard said after the votes that he thinks that Capitol security offers good protections and that South Dakota's gun permitting laws aren't onerous.
The House vote of 36-33 failed to overcome Daugaard's rejection of the permitless concealed carry proposal.
It's currently a misdemeanor for someone to carry a concealed pistol or to have one concealed in a vehicle without a permit. Republican Rep. Dan Kaiser, a supporter, argued that getting a concealed pistol permit can be burdensome.
"Free people don't ask permission to do what's right," Kaiser said.
Republican Rep. Lynne DiSanto, who sponsored the bill, said that she intends to return next session with such a proposal. DiSanto said that it's a "fight that is not going away in South Dakota."
A vote of 42-27 on the Capitol carry bill also didn't meet the threshold needed to advance the measure.
It would have let people with an enhanced permit bring concealed handguns inside the building if they registered beforehand with security. There are no metal detectors or other security checks at the Capitol entrances to enforce the current prohibition on most people carrying guns in the building.
Republican Rep. Julie Frye-Mueller, a supporter, unsuccessfully argued that the veto should be overridden for safety. It can be scary at times seeing people up in the gallery who might be angry at lawmakers, she said.
"We are in a fishbowl down here," she said, referring to the House floor. "This would be like shooting fish in a barrel."
Lawmakers also upheld vetoes of bills on the state special education formula, reducing a fee mostly put into a telecommunication fund for the deaf and the juvenile justice system.
But, in an unorthodox move, the Legislature passed a similar juvenile justice bill changing the maximum duration of juvenile probation.
