How old do you have to be to buy a handgun in South Dakota (2026)

South Dakota law in detail

South Dakota sets no handgun purchase age of its own, so federal law was the only thing stopping an 18 to 20 year old buying one from a dealer. That makes South Dakota one of the states where the September 2026 Justice Department opinion is the whole question.
South Dakota adds no rule of its own for rifles and shotguns, so the federal minimum of 18 at a dealer applies.
Possessing a handgun in South Dakota: 18. Buying and possessing are separate questions in most states and the ages often differ.
A stripped or complete AR-15 lower receiver is a firearm that is neither a rifle nor a shotgun, so a dealer transfers it in the Other column of the Form 4473 and federal law puts it at 21. That is why an 18 year old can buy a complete rifle but not the receiver to build one, and the 2026 opinion expressly left frames and receivers alone.

The federal rule

Federal law has two floors. A licensed dealer may sell a rifle or shotgun at 18, and 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(1) bars that dealer from selling any other firearm, which includes handguns and bare frames and receivers, to anyone under 21. On September 17, 2026 the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the 21 rule is unconstitutional as applied to 18 to 20 year olds and cannot be criminally enforced against dealers. The statute, the ATF regulations and Form 4473 are all unchanged, ATF has issued no guidance, and the opinion expressly does not reach frames and receivers. State age law is untouched by any of it.

Minimum age in neighboring states

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