South Carolina Governor Signs Open Carry Bill Into Law
BY Herschel Smith
3 years, 7 months ago
Gov. Henry McMaster said Monday he signed into law a bill allowing people with concealed weapons permits from the state to carry their guns in the open.
McMaster posted on Twitter that he was keeping his promise to sign any bill that protects or expands gun rights.
The proposal allows so-called open carry of guns for people who undergo training and background checks so they can keep guns hidden under a jacket or other clothing or in their vehicle anywhere there isn’t a sign prohibiting it.
The law takes effect in 90 days. Thus, in mid-August, South Carolina will no longer be with California, Florida, Illinois and New York to prohibit any type of open carry.
The law eliminates a $50 permit fee to get a concealed weapons permit and lowers the number of bullets that someone must fire at a target in an accuracy test to get a permit from 50 to 25 shots. Requirements remain that a permit holder be 21 or over, take eight hours of training and pass a background check that includes fingerprinting.
My S.C. Open Carry tag has dozens of columns, articles and commentaries, which I’ve sent around hundreds of times to fellow gun rights activists in South Carolina, S.C. members of the House and Senate, and readers. Additionally, I’ve met people face to face to discuss this, sent other letters to politicians, both local and state, and sent letters to CLEOs to rebut their efforts to deny open carry to South Carolinians, pointing out in excruciating detail on every point how they were wrong and disloyal to the constitution.
This is a big win, a hard fought victory. I’m celebrating tonight over this.
But the fight isn’t over. They denied constitutional carry this time around. We’ll go in baby steps as incrementalists. I have no objections to incrementalism.
Open carry this year, constitutional carry next year.
On May 18, 2021 at 5:26 am, Michael Kochin said:
Constitutional carry next year, statutory mandatory carry in 2023
https://amgreatness.com/2017/10/04/second-amendment-duties/
On May 18, 2021 at 6:09 am, D said:
The US has such strange and unexplainable patch work of laws, especially on firearms. It never fails to amaze me then there are states with essentially no prohibition of weapons, while neighboring states have nearly the opposite laws in place and will force you into a steel cage and bankrupt you for simply having ammunition or magazines in your possession. What makes Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont so incompatibility different from Massachusetts, or in this case SC different from Florida, Georgia, NC and Tennessee? It seems like the issue is multi generational long standing oligarchies in the state houses. Anyway, Congrats on the win.
On May 18, 2021 at 9:04 am, VietVet said:
@Michael Kochin
Please don’t take offense to this statement but that article is a complete crock. The author rails on regarding the responsibilities of gun carriers, the demands of the Second Amendment yet opens the article reflecting his personal abdication of his own personal responsibility to those same responsibilities.
He’s a coward pontificating from Tel Aviv to Americans.
On May 18, 2021 at 12:25 pm, ray ward said:
I testified before public safety committees of two consecutive sessions of the Texas state legislature to get the first shall-issue concealed carry license passed. You have to be persistent, and out-argue the opposition. You have to show up.
Good job, South Carolina! Hang in there. #RepealNFA
On May 18, 2021 at 1:00 pm, xtphreak said:
@ D
Please understand that “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” means exactly that.
Well less now than before unfortunately.
Amendment X to the US Constitution states:
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
The Federal Government is limited in its powers by the Constitution (in theory now more than before), only the delegated powers belong to the Federal Government, any others not declared belong to each individual State to decide or to the People.
So unless the FedGov seizes a State Power by going beyond its delegated powers, each State decides for itself how to pass laws.
Why they do what they do?
Ha!
Good luck with that question