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Forget Texas… Don’t Mess With South Dakota

SDPB

The number of concealed carry permits reached an all-time high in South Dakota in December.
 
Secretary of State Shantel Krebs says the number of permits issued beat the previous state record by well over 3,000.

She says the number of concealed carry permits issued during a single year has more than doubled since 2008.

Krebs says her office saw an increase in permit applications following tragedies that get national attention…

“We really have heard, from our Sheriff’s offices to our constituents, that the reason this past year we had such an all-time high is truly in response to national events and tragedies such as the San Bernadino shooting," Krebs says. "As soon as that happened, the next three months, our office literally issued over 10,000 permits for the fact in response to that shooting.”

Krebs says when the issue of gun rights came up during the presidential election the number of permit applications increased.

Krebs says she expects the number of concealed carry permit applications to remain steady for a few months.

“We’ve heard from our instructors from across the state that a lot of women are taking these courses in self-defense and how to handle a concealed carry or a concealed weapon," Krebs says. "Maybe that’s a bit of the response as well that’s it may be more female.”

Krebs says the number of active concealed carry permit holders in South Dakota totals over 96,000.

She says that means one in six South Dakotans have a permit.