South Carolina may be closer to becoming the 28th state to formally guarantee the right to carry a firearm without a permit, also known as “constitutional carry.”
However, one Second Amendment organization has said the bill may bounce between the state House and state Senate as legislators file dueling amendments.
“It can go back and forth for quite a while,” James Moffitt, vice president of South Carolina Carry Inc., told The Epoch Times in an email.
Supporters of the measure say the proposed law would enable South Carolina residents who can legally own firearms to finally exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Previous Attempts
When the state House was debating similar legislation in March 2021, the South Carolina chapter of gun control group Moms Demand Action criticized the effort to expand gun carry rights.
“It’s common sense—anyone who wants to carry a firearm in public should go through a background check and some safety training,“ Jackie Shelley, a volunteer with the South Carolina chapter of Moms Demand Action, said in a statement at the time. ”This dangerous bill, which our lawmakers are recklessly fast-tracking, would gut our permitting system and make our families less safe. We’ll keep fighting to make sure that this proposal never becomes law.”
The group didn’t respond by press time to an email seeking comment.
Republican state Sen. Shane Martin has sponsored a companion bill in the state Senate. He said he had spent more than 10 years fighting for constitutional carry because his constituents demanded it.
“I am proud and pleased that finally, this legislation is on the Senate floor, and every senator will get to vote. I look forward to it and to the passage of the bill,” Mr. Martin told The Epoch Times in an email.
Mr. Rice said his constituents told him their opposition to permit laws goes beyond just the right to carry a firearm. He said many people are leery of the government and don’t want to provide information to agencies they don’t trust. He said they are concerned the information would be used to compile a registry of gun owners.
“People don’t want to give the government their information,” he said.
Mr. Rice said he believes there is a good chance that Gov. Henry McMaster will sign the bill if it gets to his desk.
“I hate speaking for anyone else. But I’m not fearful that he won’t sign it,” Mr. Rice said.
Current Requirements to Carry Firearms
South Carolina’s concealed carry permit law requires eight hours of training. The proposal does away with that requirement, although citizens are still strongly encouraged to get firearms training.“You need to be proficient with the weapon you’re carrying, and you need to know what the law says,” Mr. Rice said.
He pointed out that the bill also lists places in which carrying a firearm would be prohibited. The list includes schools, government buildings, health care facilities, places of worship, law enforcement centers, and any place where carrying is prohibited by federal law.
Once the bill goes up for debate, senators can propose amendments. If the bill is amended and passes the Senate, the amended version will be sent back to the House. Representatives will then vote on whether to concur with the legislation.
If the House doesn’t concur and a compromise can’t be reached, the bill will die.
Mr. Moffitt said this isn’t the first time a pro-Second Amendment bill has been before the state Legislature. He said such bills usually pass the House of Representatives but die in the Senate.
If the bill doesn’t pass before the end of the current session on May 9, the process must start over in 2025.
Gun rights advocates have said they are watching the case.
Dudley Brown, president of the National Association for Gun Rights, issued a warning to legislators about the political consequences of not supporting the bill.
“Hear this, Senate Republicans: gun owners everywhere are watching,“ he said in a statement published on the association’s website on Jan. 23. ”Pass a clean Constitutional Carry bill, or face our wrath at the polls.”
