Gun Rights Education In South Carolina
BY Herschel Smith9 years, 10 months ago
Jon Bailey spent a Friday afternoon over Christmas break taking his 13-year-old son, Connor, to shoot pistols at Allen Arms Indoor Range in Greenville.
He showed Connor how to load, aim and fire the weapon, but he also instructed him on what to do if he ever saw friends playing with a gun or found a gun lying around.
“He knows to get the heck out of the room and talk to adults,” Bailey said.
Bailey doesn’t call himself a gun fanatic. He wanted to demystify the idea of guns for his son.
But he does think more children should have knowledge of gun safety.
Who instructs children on the gun rights and safety has traditionally been left out of the state’s school systems, but bills pre-filed in both chambers of the South Carolina Legislature would bring gun rights squarely into focus in the classroom.
Whether schools are the right place to instruct students about firearms will be up for debate.
Zero-tolerance policies regarding guns at South Carolina schools has led to a backlash against citizens’ gun rights and a lack of knowledge on how to safely use firearms, Republican state legislators said as they prepared to open a new session in the state Legislature.
State social studies standards that instruct teachers to explain how the Constitution and Bill of Rights helps protect limited government. But schools don’t go far enough to explain gun rights, they said.
One bill — pre-filed in the state House — would create a Second Amendment Awareness Day to be held on Dec. 15 each year in all state schools, complete with a poster or essay contest centered on the theme “The Right To Bear Arms: One American Right Protecting All Others.”
Students — at every grade level — would receive at least three weeks of education on their gun rights based on a curriculum chosen by the state Department of Education and approved or recommended by the National Rifle Association.
[ … ]
His idea for the bill came after an incident in a Summerville high school in September where police were notified and a 16-year-old student’s locker searched after he wrote a fictional essay that mentioned purchasing a gun to kill his neighbor’s pet dinosaur.
The student was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after police said he became belligerent.
Clemmons said the incident “shocked” and “offended” him.
“In this case, it squelched a student’s first amendment rights, in responding to an assignment, to talk about the second amendment,” he said.
Students are being punished when they choose to “write about one of their precious American rights,” he said.
Rep. Garry Smith, R-Simpsonville, who co-sponsored the bill, along with Rep. Richard Yow, R-Chesterfield, said the second amendment deserves more instructional time than other amendments because it is the lynchpin for the rest of democracy.
This is all well and good, but I have a better idea. If South Carolina citizens really want to teach children about the second amendment, then get rid of gun-hater and elitist establishment ruler S.C. State Senator Larry Martin (from Pickens) and institute open carry throughout South Carolina. Patriots need to initiate a beat-down to establishment GOP in South Carolina. Until then, it’s just all bluster and hot air to me.
On January 8, 2015 at 2:25 pm, gyrwan said:
Unrelated, but thought you should read.
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/27789924/2-swat-teams
Man had enough guns to arm 2 SWAT teams
Posted: Jan 08, 2015 6:38 AM EST
Updated: Jan 08, 2015 6:40 AM EST
New York State News
NEWBURGH, N.Y. (AP) – Police say a 23-year-old man charged with possessing illegal firearms had enough high-caliber weapons in his Hudson Valley home to arm two SWAT teams.
Officials in the Orange County town of Newburgh tell the Times Herald-Record of Middletown that Michael Petrosino was arrested last Saturday and charged with felony weapons possession and with discharging a weapon near a residence.
The arrest came after a neighbor reported hearing gunfire coming from Petrosino’s home. Police say they obtained a search warrant and hauled more than three dozen weapons, a large supply of ammunition and silencers from the house.
Authorities say the firearms included handguns, assault rifles and sawed-off shotguns.
Petrosino was released after posting $5,000 bail. It couldn’t be determined if he has a lawyer.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
On January 8, 2015 at 2:33 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Saw it. Thanks. I thought I would mention it tonight.
On January 8, 2015 at 3:06 pm, Backwoods Engineer said:
And while they’re at it, SC should recognize neighboring states’ concealed carry permits. As a transplant Alabamian, there is no way I can carry in SC without owning property there.
On January 8, 2015 at 3:12 pm, Herschel Smith said:
You don’t have pro forma reciprocity, that’s true. I’m not sure why S.C. is so backwards in this regard. But you could apply for an out-of-state (non-resident) carry permit, can’t you? I know S.C. has such a thing. I’ve never needed it since S.C. recognizes my permit.
http://www.sled.sc.gov/Reciprocity1.aspx
http://www.sled.sc.gov/documents/Non-Resident%20CWP%20Permit%20Form.doc
On January 11, 2015 at 6:45 pm, Backwoods Engineer said:
Herchel, there is no non-resident carry permit in SC. You must own property there in order to have a license. If SC does not recognize your state’s CCL (and they don’t recognize states without at least 8 hours of training), no form of carry is possible, since open carry is banned.
On January 8, 2015 at 10:05 pm, Chuck said:
Beat me to it. My Georgia permit isn’t recognized in SC because we aren’t required to attend mandatory training to get our permission slip. And last time I checked, the non-resident permit in SC is only for SC property owners with permanent residence in another state.
On January 11, 2015 at 6:45 pm, Backwoods Engineer said:
Chuck, you are correct.