COLOMBIA – A bill to allow holders of concealed weapons permits to carry revolvers openly in public was passed in the South Carolina House after a six-hour debate on March 17, overcoming the vehement objections of Democrats and key officials By law enforcement, who warned that it could decrease the safe state.
In an 82-33 vote largely along party lines, the Republican-dominated House passed the “open to carry training” bill, which supporters pointed to as a compromise between those who want to restrict arms rights and those who believe that the state should allow gun owners to openly carry, regardless of whether or not they have a license.
State Representative Bobby Cox, the bill’s main sponsor, noted that another 45 states already have some kind of open transport law in their books and said the bill “will put us in line with the rest of the country” and “restore our Second Modification rights. “
“We have to do better and we are doing better,” said Cox, R-Greenville. “This is sending a message that these legislators and I support the citizens of South Carolina to protect our constitutional freedoms.”
Black Democrats expressed particularly vigorous opposition to the bill, arguing that the police would be more likely to examine them if they sought to take advantage of this by openly carrying weapons and that white weapon owners could use the measure to intimidate them.
“It doesn’t support or help people who look like me,” said state deputy Jermaine Johnson, D-Columbia, describing himself as a six-foot-six-pound, 285-pound black man who can attract negative attention if he openly carried a gun. “If I end up in somebody’s corpse bag or somebody’s morgue, I want you to think about the way you voted today.”
The House narrowly rejected an amendment by the House minority leader, Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, that would make it clear that the police cannot detain anyone just because they are openly carrying a gun.
The passage of the bill also came despite opposition from key law enforcement officials, including Charleston police chief Luther Reynolds, who testified against the bill in the subcommittee, and the head of the Law Enforcement Division. State, Mark Keel.
“Why would we pass a bill to make law enforcement work more difficult, to put their lives in more danger?” said State Representative Seth Rose, D-Columbia, during the debate.
The vote came a day after the House Judiciary Committee passed a separate bill, known as “constitutional possession”, that would allow all legal gun owners to openly port, regardless of whether they received a license or training. This bill could receive a vote from the House floor in early April.
State Representative Jonathon Hill, R-Townville, proposed an amendment to replace the open carry with the constitutional carry training project. But Cox, author of both bills, said he believed they should be discussed separately, and the House voted against Hill’s amendment.
“Constitutional transportation, in my opinion, is very important to be added at the last minute, as with this amendment,” said Cox. “He deserves to go through the regular committee process like all bills.”
After a final superficial vote, the bill goes to the state Senate. Weapons rights bills have historically had a harder time getting out of that chamber, but supporters of the bill are hopeful that a broadened Republican majority after the 2020 elections will make the bill more likely to pass.
Senate majority leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said he supports open training, but is unsure whether the Senate will accept it before the end of the 2021 session in May or what would happen if it did.
But some of the new Republican lawmakers who ousted Democratic presidents last year and praised their support for gun rights during the campaign said they believed the party should be encouraged to address the issue this year.
“I think there is a renewed energy within the caucus to do something about it, and certainly some of us who have switched places largely on the basis of issues like this, we are going to talk about it a lot,” said state senator Josh Kimbrell. , R-Spartanburg.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Luke Rankin, R-Conway, declined to comment on whether “open training” or “constitutional referral” will receive Senate hearings after approval in the House. But Cox said Rankin indicated to other lawmakers that he would be more receptive to the bill with the license requirement.
The bills would remain active for another year until the 2022 session if passed this year.
Governor Henry McMaster’s spokesman, Brian Symmes, said the governor would sign any of the bills if they passed the House and Senate, but he expressed no preference for one or the other.
The governor “is happy to see the House of Representatives progressing today and expects the Senate to follow his lead and send him a bill to sanction this session,” said Symmes.
State Representative Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, has proposed an amendment to allow people to carry weapons openly on state premises, saying lawmakers should not exempt their own workplace if they believe that trained gun owners will be responsible.
Some conservatives have joined Democrats in support of this idea, but not enough to win a majority.
Follow Jamie Lovegrove on Twitter @jslovegrove.