Latest news with #HB1218
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Dakota bill allowing concealed weapons in bars awaits governor's signature
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. (KCAU) — On March 12, South Dakota legislators passed a bill that would allow concealed guns in bars. It's now sitting on the governor's desk, waiting for him to sign it into law. The South Dakota Legislature amended House Bill 1218, repealing a section of state law that prevents everyday gun owners from carrying a concealed pistol into a 'licensed bar that sells beer and liquor.' The provision only applies to bars and other businesses that make more than 50% of their total income from the sale of alcoholic beverages. North Sioux City receives petition to halt Union Crossing housing development 'I'm not 100% thrilled that every person that walks in could carry a concealed weapon, but at the same time, I understand the right to bear arms and I also understand there's a lot of unstableness and craziness in the world,' said Kimberly LaFleur, owner of Beano & Sherry's Casinos in North Sioux City. 'Sometimes it can come in handy. Sometimes it's not handy. It's kind of a catch-22 in my opinion.' If Governor Larry Rhoden signs the bill into law, South Dakota will join Iowa and Nebraska in allowing concealed weapons in bars. The obvious concern is mixing alcohol with firearms. 'You don't want to combine the two,' LaFleur said. 'You don't want to be under the influence. It's the same thing as driving a vehicle or whatever. You have a couple of drinks or whatever, you're under the influence. It's going to affect things.' Another concern is that South Dakota is one of 29 constitutional carry states. That means any law-abiding adult can carry a firearm without any special training or permit. 'With great power comes great responsibility,' J.T. Grover with Rev-Tac Firearm Instruction said. 'If you don't know the laws and you don't have any skills, it's amazing how many people that think they have that skill. Even the people, we see some through our conceal carry classes that have to shoot to qualify, the talent is typically not there. It's important to recognize that even though there is a bar, that bar is extremely low. And now with constitutional carry, there is no bar, other than you have a pulse and legally possess a firearm.' Sen. Rounds says U.S. Senate in dark as Musk works through DOGE According to Grover, people that carry weapons into bars need to make sure they are responsible for their actions to avoid something bad happening. 'If you're going to the bar and personal defense is something that's important to you, you still have to maintain a clear head,' he said. 'So you have to choose if you're there to party or are you there to protect. I think most people would not mix those two.' Currently, bar owners in South Dakota have the right to post a sign forbidding guns in their bars, and that would continue under HB 1218. If signed, the bill would be effective July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The process that could allow concealed guns in bars was a joke, but the bill isn't
A bartender at DaDa Gastropub mixes a drink on Nov. 5, 2024, in Sioux Falls. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Two guys walk into a bar in South Dakota. Come July 1, the punchline is that they could legally bring concealed pistols with them, unless Gov. Larry Rhoden vetoes HB 1218. On March 12, the South Dakota Legislature voted to repeal a current state law that says 'a person may not carry a concealed pistol in any licensed on-sale malt beverage or alcoholic beverage establishment that derives over one-half of its total income from the sale of malt or alcoholic beverages.' This legislation is bad for many reasons, the most obvious being that alcohol and firearms do not mix. We know that alcohol lowers inhibitions and reduces impulse control. We know that easy access to a gun in those situations increases the likelihood that it will be misused during a confrontation. And we know that whenever a gun is involved in an impulsive mistake it raises the chances that injury or death will be the result. That's why Rep. Steve Duffy, R-Rapid City, voted against HB 1218. 'This is crazy. When you mix booze and guns I don't know how you can expect anything good to happen. Sooner or later, there's going to be trouble,' Duffy said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Duffy grew up in a family that owned the Chateau bar and restaurant, a well-known Fort Pierre hospitality spot where the drinks were strong and the steaks were tender. He's seen tempers flare and altercations ensue in bars over something as small as an eyebrow raised in the wrong direction. Some of the people involved, he said on the House floor, are 'only not dead because there wasn't a gun or a knife in the room.' Rep. Erin Healy, D-Sioux Falls, co-owns a bar with her husband. They want the law that prohibits concealed carry in bars to remain in effect. Instead, it was struck down by a late-in-the-session amendment in a process that didn't give Healy's husband, or other bar owners, a chance to comment. HB 1218 began life on Feb. 4 as a bill to prevent cities and counties from imposing firearm restrictions on their employees and volunteers while on or in city or county property (so much for that all-important conservative talking point about local control). In that form, the bill passed the House of Representatives and a Senate committee. On March 10, during the legislative session's final week, the Senate amended the legislation to include the repeal of the ban on concealed pistols in bars. The amendment came from Sen. Mykala Voita, R-Bonesteel, who also sponsored a separate bill sent to the governor's desk that would allow concealed handguns on college campuses. The timing of the amendment shielded it from the regular legislative process. That lack of transparency is another reason the legislation is bad, said Nathan Sanderson, executive director of the South Dakota Retailers Association. 'The last-minute amendment that ended the current ban on concealed pistols in bars should have had a committee hearing,' Sanderson said. 'Small business owners deserved the right to share how this change would impact them.' Proponents of the bill say other laws will protect the public from problems that may arise from guns in bars. In theory, yes. In practice, not so much. While intoxicated people can't legally carry a gun, what bar employee wants to be the person tasked with telling them that, or disarming them? And the laws against murder or manslaughter are cold comfort to the bar patron who is already dead, perhaps caught in the crossfire of two hot-headed people with guns. Guns-on-campus bill surrenders collective safety to the feelings of a few Proponents also note that bar owners currently have the right to post a sign forbidding guns in their establishments, and they will still have that right if HB 1218 becomes law. But in the reality of our current gun culture, where more guns are seen as the answer to every public safety issue, the Second Amendment extremists who rule the Legislature have so normalized the idea that guns belong everywhere — from college classrooms to cocktail hour — that we have all become desensitized to it. Justin Henrichsen, owner of the Windsor Block bar in Rapid City and two other alcohol establishments, believes alcohol and guns are a bad mix, but said he probably won't bother to post a sign saying 'No Guns Allowed.' His clientele isn't prone to rowdy over-consumption in any case, and he doubts a sign would stop people who conceal-carry. Henrichsen's attitude is understandable, of course, given the glorification of guns in this state. But I suspect there are plenty of alcohol retailers who hate this bill, and I'm hoping they contact Gov. Rhoden. Rhoden is no doubt a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, but he can be that and still veto this bill. First of all, the 2019 Legislature and then-Gov. Kristi Noem kept the ban on concealed pistols in bars when they struck down the requirement to get a permit for a concealed handgun. All conservative Republicans must agree that was a fine law, right? Secondly, the bar legislation was passed without proper public input. If allowing guns in bars is a good idea this year, what's the harm in postponing it until next year and subjecting it to an open process? The people most affected — bar owners and patrons, like me, who want the right to enjoy a cocktail without worrying about loaded guns in pockets and purses around us — should be heard. And that's no joke.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers might legalize concealed pistols in bars
UPDATE: The House on Wednesday afternoon voted 56-14 to accept the Senate version that calls for allowing concealed pistols in bars and other establishments. The bill's prime sponsor Republican Rep. Aaron Aylward said that the change wouldn't stop bars from individually choosing to ban concealed weapons from their premises. PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — A proposal is moving through the South Dakota Legislature that would permit concealed pistols to be carried in any bar or other establishment that earns more than half of its total income from the sale of malt or alcoholic beverages. The change would repeal a state law prohibiting concealed pistols in those establishments that's been in effect since 2019 when state lawmakers legalized concealed carry. Concern, intense rhetoric accompany HB 1239 in Pierre Republican Sen. Mykala Voita added the repeal wording earlier this week when the Senate debated . The House version of the bill called for allowing concealed firearms and ammunition in most areas of county, municipal and township buildings and spaces. Senators on Monday added the Voita amendment allowing concealed pistols in bars and then voted 30-4 to pass the bill. HB 1218 then returned to the House of Representatives for a decision whether to accept the Voita change. The House voted 35-34 on Tuesday in favor of the motion from Republican Rep. Jeff Bathke to disagree with the Voita amendment and appointed a conference committee to negotiate differences between the two versions. The conference committee met on Wednesday morning. Five of the six members showed up. The sixth, Bathke, didn't attend. The group listened to nine minutes of testimony favoring the Voita amendment from Brian Gosch, a Rapid City lawyer and former House member, who now represents the National Rifle Association. Gosch argued several points. He said people can open-carry firearms in South Dakota bars now, and neighboring states of Minnesota and Montana allow concealed-carry in alcohol establishments. He referred to mass shootings at a variety of locations in other states where guns weren't allowed. 'Gun-free zones don't work,' Gosch said. One opponent testified against the Voita amendment: Nathan Sanderson, executive director of the South Dakota Retailers. He said the Senate decision on the Voita amendment was a surprise. He suggested the committee slow down, so that he could offer another amendment that might be acceptable. One of the conference panel's legislators, Republican Rep. Kevin Jensen, has served as a concealed-carry instructor for 11 years. He pointed out the vagueness of the ban. '50 percent when?' he said. 'It's really hard to know, even as an instructor.' He added, 'I think we have to be very specific.' Jensen also raised the example of someone who can legally carry a concealed pistol into an establishment that makes less than half of its income from alcohol sales but can't carry a concealed pistol in an establishment that makes more than half of its income from alcohol sales. 'Why is one restricted and the other not?' Jensen asked 'To me it's just common sense that we pass it as amended.' There were many county and municipal lobbyists in the audience. So was Ryan Brunner, a senior aide to Gov. Larry Rhoden. The conference committee voted 5-0 to recommend passage of the Senate version. The House voted 56-14 on Wednesday afternoon to accept the Senate version. Republican Rep. Aaron Aylward said that the change wouldn't stop bars from individually choosing to ban concealed weapons from their premises. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
