South Dakota bill would allow principals to decide who concealed carries guns in schools

The House Judiciary committee passed a bill Monday morning to let school principals give written permission to individuals 21 or older with an enhanced permit to carry a concealed pistol at public elementary or secondary schools.

Sen. Brent Hoffman’s (R-Hartford) Senate Bill 203 is a continuation of his work on other school safety bills that have failed this session, including Senate Bill 34 and Senate Bill 103.

SB 34 would’ve required that all 148 public K-12 school districts and all 706 public K-12 school buildings have a school sentinel or school resource officer, but the bill failed in the Senate Education committee.

SB 103 would’ve standardized school safety practices like locking and monitoring doors, and running a school safety tip line, but the Senate failed to pass the bill after amending it.

More: South Dakota takes step toward expanding concealed carry to public school campuses

Hoffman said Monday that 32 other states have similar laws allowing some type of concealed carry in public school districts, and that schools are the only government buildings in the state without any kind of armed security.

Rep. Kevin Jensen (R-Canton) and National Rifle Association lobbyist Brian Gosch also supported the bill in committee. Gosch argued that it’s compulsory for children to attend some sort of schooling in the state, so the state should find ways to keep them safe while they’re there.

He also said “the left” has an irrational fear of guns, which leads them to fight against school safety. If students knew someone was carrying in school, they would have to “think twice before they cause trouble,” he added, which would make schools less of a “soft target.”

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The bill saw opposition from Doug Wermedal, with Associated School Boards of South Dakota; Rob Monson, with School Administrators of South Dakota; Sandra Waltman, with the South Dakota Education Association; Sam Nelson, with the Sioux Falls School District; Dianna Miller, with the large school group; Huron attorney Gary Kaufman, and a grandparent from District 14 who argued that it wouldn’t be long until all the students in a school knew who was carrying.

As a group, the education lobbyists pleaded with the committee to change the bill’s language from letting school principals choose who carries at their school, to putting that decision up to superintendents or school boards. Two amendments brought by committee members to make those changes failed.

The opponents also argued that it’s not beneficial to introduce more guns to schools, sporting events or graduation ceremonies, for example, and that “bad actors” could take advantage of the policy. They also spoke about the increasing liability insurance districts would have to consider with this legislation.

Hoffman rebutted opponents’ arguments by saying if everyone agrees school safety is important, his bill is the way to make them safer, and that South Dakota should be proactive, not reactive, in protecting schools in this manner.

More: SD Senate Education committee OKs safety bill to lock school doors, run statewide tip line

Rep. Peri Pourier (D-Rapid City) asked Jensen how long it takes an applicant to train to obtain an enhanced carry permit, and Jensen said it takes six to eight hours. Earlier, Kaufman stated sentinels need 80 hours of training.

Pourier, who noted she was the only “left” person (Democrat) on the committee, alluding to Gosch’s comments, said she supported principals being the decision makers on who can carry in schools because principals know the parents, children, relatives and school community best.

“I’m a mother who worries every single day if there’s going to be a school shooting," she said.

If she can’t be there to protect her child, then she trusts people who conceal carry to protect them, she said.

SB 203 next moves to the Senate, and if it passes there, it moves to Gov. Kristi Noem’s desk to be signed or vetoed.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota committee passes school conceal carry bill