dvw86 wrote:
Good points. In WA you also can not have a pistol loaded in your vehicle unless you have a permit.
In addition to being a very rural, old west kind of state, particularly the half that is west of the Missouri river, SD also has a very narrow definition of "open carry".
Like WA, if it's in a car, it's concealed. On the dash or on the seat in plain sight doesn't matter, it's still concealed. Similarly if the gun and holster are partially concealed, it's concealed carry, so if you're hunting and your jacket is covering the butt of your revolver, you're no longer open carry.
I suspect that, along with only being a few generations removed from the old west, has a lot to do with the percentage of concealed carry permits in SD because open carry is a real PITA.