The South Dakota State University Students’ Association voted 17-6 to oppose South Dakota Senate Bill 100, which would prohibit “restrictions on the carrying of a concealed pistol and other items of self-defense while on the campus of a public institution of higher education,” according to the South Dakota Legislative Research Council.
Whether or not to oppose this bill was debated between senators.
“The truth of the matter is that law-abiding citizens are going to be unarmed on this campus if Senate Bill 100 is composed and doesn’t go through,” Sen. Blake Gibney said. “That leaves all these perpetrators; if you look across the historical scope of the United States, none of them looked at codified law before shooting up a school. None of them said, ‘Well it’s illegal.’”
Gibney voted no on this resolution.
Chief of Staff Rylee Sabo voted yes to oppose bill 100.
“There are people that are under the age of 18 coming onto this campus all the time, in addition to having the preschool on campus,” Sabo said. “They have [firearm] restrictions for schools K through 12, so I just feel like there’s a lot of gray area there and it feels a little “ishy” to me. I also feel like a lot of the wording of the bill is kind of vague, where we don’t really see exactly what’s going to be prohibited and how.”
SA also voted 26-0 to oppose South Dakota House Bill 1041, which aims to reduce the state’s library budget.
A bill criminalizing hazing in South Dakota failed today (Monday) in the House Judiciary Committee after lawmakers questioned its legal definitions.
House Bill 1090 died on a 9-4 vote to move it to the 41st day, effectively killing the measure. It would have made South Dakota the 45th state with anti-hazing laws if passed.
“Unfortunately, South Dakota is one of six states without hazing laws,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Josephine Garcia, R-Watertown. “The others are Alaska, Hawaii, Wyoming, Montana, and New Mexico.”
A hazing survivor testified remotely about his experience at South Dakota State University.
“I’ve personally gone to the police. My case went to DCI. There was nothing they could do,” said Faisal Haji.
Opponents argued existing laws cover hazing behavior.
“I think what you typically see with hazing is assaultive behavior regardless of the term it goes by,” said Cash Anderson, representing the South Dakota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
The bill would have made hazing a Class 1 misdemeanor or Class 6 felony if causing serious injury. The definition included actions causing “risk of extreme psychological distress or bodily injury” for organization initiations.
Correction: A vote from SA Sen. Blake Gibney was incorrectly identified in this story published in the Feb. 6, 2025, Collegian. Sen. Blake Gibney voted no to the resolution which would allow open carry of self-defense weapons on-campus.
