While there are nuances to nearly all state laws, the general premise is that a law-abiding citizen does not have to go to the government hat in hand and ask for permission to exercise this constitutional right.
South Carolina just took a major step toward becoming the 28th state to enshrine this right into law.
House Bill 3594 reached the Senate floor last week with the boost of 70 sponsors in the lower chamber. After the obligatory debate it swept through the Senate with a 28-15 margin.
Now it heads back to the House for a full vote before it goes to the desk of Gov. Henry McMaster (R) for his expected signature.
The bill, dubbed the “South Carolina Constitutional Carry/Second Amendment Preservation Act of 2023,” would eradicate the need for upstanding citizens to acquire a carry permit before possessing a firearm outside of the home for self-defense.
An added bonus is a mandated rise in punishments for felons who possess weapons. A felon convicted of committing a crime involving a firearm would face at least five years of incarceration. Penalties would increase for possession in a restricted area, and a person convicted of a gun crime who had not taken the concealed weapons permit class could face up to three years additional prison time.
The bill would continue the “gun free” status of locations such as schools, hospitals and the Statehouse.
Gun owners would also not be permitted to carry in businesses that openly ban weapons. In other words, the current controls would largely remain in place except that the right to bear arms would be respected across South Carolina.
According to the Associated Press, Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey (R) explained the bill would not have passed the upper chamber without these stipulations. He further estimated the cost of providing free training classes in all 46 counties would reach $4 million per year.
Massey observed that the law would support freedoms already enjoyed under the Second Amendment. “The idea frankly is to say, ‘look, you don’t have to have a permit to carry in South Carolina. If you’re law-abiding, you do not need a permit, but we really want you to.’”
Senate amendments to the measure would require officials to conduct an advertising campaign statewide to let citizens know that they may take advantage of free concealed weapons permit training classes. It would also publicize the freedom of open carry for those 18 years and older.
Sen. Shane Martin (R) praised the bill’s passage in the Senate and said it was one of his primary goals since joining the body in 2008.
“I don’t think it’s going to cause as many problems as they think it’s going to because the one thing we have to remember is the criminals are always going to be carrying.”
This did not appease the gun control lobby. Independent Sen. Mia McLeod repeated the familiar refrain that the state would suddenly be transformed into the “Wild, Wild West” with the new law. This despite studies that found the exact opposite to be true.
If HB 3594 is enshrined into law, it would mean that nearly every state in the Deep South would adhere to constitutional carry.
The Senate passage came after Gun Owners of America alerted its members in the state to contact their lawmakers and encourage them to pass the legislation unamended.
Similar bills are being considered in North Carolina and Louisiana.
