About 9 Percent of South Dakota's Adults have a Concealed Handgun Permit

The number of permitted concealed handguns in South Dakota continues to increase. The South Dakota Secretary of State has this information:

Pierre, SD – Secretary of State Chris Nelson announced that a record number of concealed weapons permits were issued in South Dakota in 2009.

16,907 permits were issued by sheriffs throughout the state which was 15.6% more permits than the previous record set in 2008. Permits are valid for four years. The number issued in 2009 was 68% higher than the 10,062 permits which were issued in 2005.

Any person wishing to carry a weapon in a concealed manner must first obtain a permit from their local sheriff.

South Dakota has concealed weapons permit reciprocity with 26 other states allowing South Dakota permit holders to have their permits recognized when traveling in those states. This number has increased by three this past year. A complete listing of the reciprocity states can be found at www.sdsos.gov.

There are 55,770 concealed weapons permit holders in South Dakota.