Olson: allow concealed firearms in public buildings
Concealed firearms should be allowed in public South Dakota buildings, a conservative Republican lawmaker is proposing.
A bill sponsored by Rep. Betty Olson, R-Prairie City, would let people with official concealed weapons permits from the state carry their concealed guns into public buildings like courthouses and the state Capitol.
"You've paid the $10 for the (concealed weapons permit) fee, you've passed all the background checks, and you should legally be able to bring it into public buildings in South Dakota," Olson said.
Olson said people in many public buildings, including lawmakers in the Capitol, are "sitting ducks" for a potential attacker and that law enforcement is sometimes spread too thin to protect people. Letting them carry their own weapons, Olson said, would let them protect themselves.
But Olson is likely to face resistance to her proposal. Greg Sattizahn, the state court administrator for the Unified Judicial System, said UJS would "have significant concerns" with any proposal to allow citizens to carry concealed weapons into courthouses.
"My biggest concern is the courthouse really invites very emotionally charged cases," Sattizahn said. "We don't have our own security, we rely on the local sheriffs for security."
Security in the Capitol is provided by the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
Rep. Timothy Johns, R-Lead and a retired judge, said he doesn't like the sound of Olson's bill either.
"The fact that I may have a permit to carry a concealed weapon doesn't mean I may not harbor ill will," Johns said. "It doesn't certify that I may not do something."
Olson retorted that in the majority of South Dakota courthouses without metal detectors, there's little to stop people now from bringing guns in illegally.
"This would just allow me to legally bring one in if I have been approved by the state to legally carry that weapon," she said.
The bill would not allow firearms into federal courthouses, over which South Dakota has no authority.
Olson's proposal, HB1066, has been assigned to the House Local Government committee, but has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
