South Carolina Permitless Carry
BY Herschel Smith
1 year, 10 months ago
The S.C. House of Representatives approved legislation that allows adults to legally tote a handgun with no training required while creating a felon-in-possession crime designed to enable officers to charge more people who shouldn’t own a gun.
The bill approved 90-30 on Feb. 22 mostly along party lines would allow anyone 18 and older who can legally buy a gun to carry it around, whether openly or concealed, without needing a permit.
It does not change where guns are banned. Places where they remain illegal for almost everyone include schools, day cares, courtrooms, jails, hospitals, businesses that post “no weapons” signs, and city and county offices.
The bill adds clerks of court and public defenders to the list of exempted people — primarily, judges and prosecutors currently — who can carry where others can’t, but with one caveat. Public defenders still couldn’t take their handgun into a jail or prison.
Amendments approved during the debate encourage gun owners to get training without mandating it, and require them to report a stolen gun to local law enforcement within 30 days without setting a punishment.
Republicans argued the effort is about restoring a “constitutional right” in the Second Amendment that shouldn’t need government permission, while Democrats countered it’s a dangerous bill that will lead to more murders and accidental deaths.
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Republican Rep. Alan Morgan of Greer, a co-sponsor, responded by citing statistics from the 25 states that have already passed so-called “constitutional carry” laws, arguing they haven’t led to a rise in gun-related killings there.
It’s the lack of predicted “Wild, Wild West” scenarios here over the last two years that changed some minds, said Rep. Bobby Cox, R-Greer, the main sponsor.
In 2021, Republicans pushed through a law allowing South Carolinians to openly carry their handguns, as long as they have a concealed weapon permit.
As I told you before, I listened to the entirety of the debate (a full day of it) when the S.C. senate passed open carry (the largest pill for the fearful and timid to swallow, mainly because of law enforcement).
“The majority of the state probably doesn’t even know we’re an open-carry state yet,” said Cox, an Army Ranger currently in the Reserve. “That goes against the Wild, Wild West argument we hear.
“People were very worried about guns being seen everywhere, especially in the tourist areas,” said the executive for Sig Sauer gun manufacturer. “I work in the area, and I’ve only seen one person carry.”
[ … ]
Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds said he can picture King Street, which attracts throngs of people to its shops, restaurants and bars, awash with guns.
“We are prevented and precluded — because they’re entitled to carry a gun — from even asking them if they’re illegally carrying it,” he said.
And you should be prevented from asking them. It’s none of your business.
Law enforcement screamed long and loud about the wild, wild west when open carry passed two years ago. Hopefully they’re adequately shamed now and they’re staying silent this time around, so that they don’t look even more ridiculous than they already do.
Baby steps. I was delighted to see open carry pass two years ago. I’ll be delighted to see permitless carry pass as well, but I predicted exactly this sequence of events if you will recall. I told you that permitless carry was next in line and will pass at some point in S.C. (I gave it a year, it has taken two), but they had to see for themselves what every other state has seen.
The state doesn’t become a war zone and burn to ashes. The manner of carry doesn’t change a man’s character. I dream of a day when a man is seen for the nature of his character rather than the method of his carry.
On February 25, 2023 at 9:33 am, Nosmo said:
“It does not change where guns are banned. Places where they remain illegal for almost everyone include schools, day cares, courtrooms, jails, hospitals, businesses that post “no weapons” signs, and city and county offices.”
Except for private businesses which have the right to operate as they see fit within the confines of the Constitution and enacted statutes, this needs to be the next focus for change; true Constitutional Carry does not have such restrictions. Nor are they needed.
Now, let’s see what happens in the Senate.
On February 25, 2023 at 10:53 am, xtphreak said:
The police desire to maintain their “monopoly of force” that has been the status quo for decades.
They are Super Citizens, indoctrinated with that belief.
Only They are supposed to be able to openly carry.
It’s a form of intimidation, you see.
Of control.
Of the lower caste, which is how they’re taught to think.
Which is exactly how the government wants it, why else all the carve-outs for them in Government facilities?
On February 25, 2023 at 7:53 pm, X said:
“We are prevented and precluded — because they’re entitled to carry a gun — from even asking them if they’re illegally carrying it,” he said.
They’re NOTHING they hate more than the serfs who pay their salaries having “rights.” I live in an extremely restrictive state — no ARs, no 10+ mags, no CCW, no NFA.
Suddenly… ALL the f–ing cops are toting M4s with 30-rd mags and collapsible stocks. Some of them are now issued SBRs with suppressors.
Recently, there was a theft of video game consoles at a Walmart. No gun was displayed or fired.
The cops rolled up like an infantry squad at Fallujah with SBR M4s and suppressors and cleared the shoppers out at gunpoint.
The thief got clean away…
On February 26, 2023 at 7:36 am, Latigo Morgan said:
I’ve had to rethink my position on private businesses being allowed to ban firearms.
If a business is generally open to the public, i.e. store, restaurant, theater, etc., meaning people can walk in and out at will to transact with the business, then they should have to accept anyone who comes through their doors without hassle.
Now, this does not mean they have to actually do business with them (right to refuse), but the person carrying according to his rights should not be unduly persecuted for doing so.
“No shirt, no shoes, no service” alludes to public decency and hygiene which stores and restaurants have to adhere to for health codes. Nothing about someone carrying a firearm affects those things.
But, if a business does feel that strongly about armed individuals entering, then the burden of the law should be on them. They should be required to provide a lock box for individual firearms and armed security within their establishment lest they be held liable for any injuries sustained by their customers in the event of an armed robbery or spree killer.