New knife owner in South Dakota here

H

Handle

Joined
Sep 14, 2006
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I don't know if this is the right forum for this but it's my first post so go easy on me. ;) I recently got a Spyderco Native as a gift and would like to make it an EDC as I can use it for a multitude of things out here "on the prairie." I have carried a mini leatherman with me for a long time and have found myself in need of a blade with a little more "oomph" at times. My concern is if it would be legal for me to carry around simply clipped to my front right belt or pocket (in plain sight) for easy access.

I did some snooping around on the net and didn't really find anything that nailed down the answer for me and was hoping someone more familiar with SD laws could help me out. It looks like South Dakota is pretty lenient when it comes to knives but I would rather get some sound advice here than just assume I was right.

Chris
So. Dak.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums!

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State Knife Laws by Bernard Levine
http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/sta-law.htm#S-W

Wow. This is what I found under South Dakota:

South Dakota - 22-14-19. No person may own, possess or sell a ballistic knife. A ballistic knife is a knife encased in a tubular metal sheath which when removed, uncovers a detachable blade that can be propelled by a spring mechanism operated at the push of a button.
Click to expand...

These are rare and somewhat ridiculous items. In other words, it seems that in SD you are pretty much good to go as far as knives go.
 
Hi Chris,

South Dakota (a beautiful state, by the way) is a knife-friendly state, and does not have a statutorily defined blade length limit.

Open or concealed carry of folding knives is permitted under state law, although state law makes it a felony to carry a concealed dangerous weapon, the definition of which includes any knife, with intent to commit a felony.

South Dakota, like most states, does not have a knife law preemption statute, so cities and towns may pass their own municipal ordinances restricting knife carry in their jurisdictions. For example, Rapid City has several knife-related ordinances:

Rapid City – Concealed carry of “any knife with a blade exceeding 3 inches in length, or any sharp or dangerous weapon such as is usually employed in attack or defense of the person” prohibited. See, RAPID CITY, S.D., CODE OF ORDINANCES Sec. 9.28.030 (2004). Carry, whether open or concealed, of any weapon or “sharp or dangerous object,” other than a folding knife carried in the closed position with a blade less than three inches in length, prohibited in all alcoholic beverage establishments except those solely selling beer for off-premises consumption. See, id. at Sec. 9.27.040.
From Knife Laws of the Fifty States -- A Guide for the Law-Abiding Traveler, page 154.
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You should check with local authorities for the cities where you live or visit to see if they have ordinances more restrictive than state law.

Also, note that the statute (S.D. Codified Laws Sec. 22-14-19) prohibiting possession of ballistic knives cited by the previous poster has been repealed, effective July 1, 2006.

Hope this helps.
 
Well I've had it for over 2 months now with no problem. I think it's in part that I haven't seen a police officer (in person) in that time :)

I also bought a SAK that I carry daily. MMMMMmmmmmm knives
 
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