Constitutional And Open Carry Advances Out Of Committee In South Carolina Senate
BY Herschel Smith
7 years, 7 months ago
A Senate bill that would clear the way for carrying firearms in South Carolina without a permit advanced from a panel on Tuesday with fewer than five days remaining in the legislative calendar.
It’s the beginning step for the bill that was first discussed in mid April. The bill – whose author is Sen. Shane Martin, R-Spartanburg – is different than one the House bill has already passed.
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Like the House version, the Senate bill allows those who are legally permitted to own, carry or purchase a firearm to do so without having to obtain a permit. “Open carry,” which allows for a person to carry a firearm exposed on their person, also would be permitted …
As of Tuesday, however, there were no plans to schedule another hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee during the last week of session, which is the panel where the bill is headed to next.
The bill, however, does not die; 2017 is the first half of a two-year session. When legislators return in January, they will be able to continue discussing the bill with the progress that has already been made.
I consider it a minor to moderate failure for this bill to sit stagnated while the legislators go home. We lose momentum, and there is absolutely no reason whatsoever that they couldn’t have come to terms with the House and passed a bill to send to the governor’s desk this week.
The upshot, however, is that I was worried about whether the rapidity of this would prevent us from addressing the South Carolina state senators one by one in order to do what we can to ensure success. Now we don’t have that problem. We have time to single out the senators with directed and focused communications. Sitting stagnated but in process is better than having completely died or being rejected by the senate.
I hate that the legislators are going home, but we can pick this up again and make it clear to the senators that they have to do this first thing. They need to move apace on this. So says we, the free citizens and men of good will everywhere.
On May 4, 2017 at 3:23 am, Nosmo said:
SC state senators aren’t up for re-election until 2020, but Nov 2018 all 124 House seats are in play, as is governor and LT gov (now united on a single ticket), AG, Comptroller, solicitors in the 16 districts, SC Sec State, etc. We can’t replace senators until 2020, but there might be possibilities for obtaining some outside influence on them.
Not to mention having 2 years to organize against those senators who disrespect our rights. There’s a lot of citizen dissatisfaction over the recent senate gas tax voting, it would be interesting to match voting senator records on taxes and gun rights. There may be some cross-support opportunities for new blood in a lot of seats.
My hobby horse is not just term limits, but “public office ocupancy limits.” As in: “no one in South Carolina shall serve more than 5 terms, or portions thereof, in elected office, and service in elected office shall constitute lifetime disqualification for remuneration, in any form, from any government in South Carolina upon term conclusion.” Somehow we have to break the chain of dogcatcher – school board – county commission – SC House – SC Senate and start cycling fresh blood through these offices.
On May 4, 2017 at 1:08 pm, Fred said:
“…there is absolutely no reason whatsoever that they couldn’t have come to terms with the House and passed a bill to send to the governor’s desk this week.”
Except that fleecing the people of their hard earned sustenance and making it sound like you’re doing them a favor is hard work, and takes time.
I didn’t know that SC ‘carried over’ its sessions. That’s an interesting approach. I guess my only skin in the game is that the more states go Constitutional Carry the more leverage of example I can hold out to my own ‘representatives’ who, failed again this year in all things firearms. But, SC is not the only state with Gasoline Tax problems as mine raised the gas tax practically ensuring a dem governor gets into that office next time. As WRSA says; “Republicans, they thirst for death.”
On May 7, 2017 at 7:21 pm, Jim Wiseman said:
Meanwhile, North Carolina gets the shaft again. No permitless carry. Same Jim Crow era pistol purchase permit. No standardization of criminal protection zone signs.