• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- A measure that would have allowed most South Dakota residents to carry concealed weapons without permits was rejected by a legislative panel Thursday after opponents said it could prevent law officers from stopping some crimes and encourage criminals to carry hidden guns.
• The House Local Government Committee voted 7-6 to kill the legislation. But the measure's main sponsor, Rep. Lance Russell, said he may ask the full House to override the committee and debate the bill, which he said would help law-abiding citizens protect themselves without causing any increase in crime.
• The bill would have allowed people to carry concealed handguns without a state permit as long as they met federal qualifications for owning guns. Federal law prohibits convicted felons, drug addicts, some people with mental health problems and those convicted of domestic violence from possessing guns.
• The measure also would have prevented law enforcement officers from searching or detaining people just because they had a pistol or revolver.
• Rep. Tim Rounds, R-Pierre, chairman of the committee, said some people saw the bill as a way to let Washington know they oppose federal gun control efforts. President Barack Obama has called for required background checks for all gun sales and a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines in the wake of last month's slaying of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.
• But Rounds said Russell's proposal was flawed because it would hamper law enforcement's ability to protect people.
• "The unintended consequences of the bill would not allow law enforcement officers to do their jobs," Rounds said.
• Maj. Randy Hartley, assistant superintendent of the South Dakota Highway Patrol, urged the committee to reject the bill because it would make it difficult for troopers to determine if someone met the requirements of federal law and could legally carry a concealed handgun.
• "There would be absolutely no way to know if, under federal law, that person was permitted to carry a concealed weapon," Hartley said.
• The measure also could have prevented law officers from detaining someone carrying a hidden gun until that person committed a crime with the weapon, Hartley said. In addition, it could have encouraged members of motorcycle gangs to carry guns during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the Black Hills, he said.

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