COLOMBIA – More than 90 religious leaders from all over South Carolina plan to send a letter to state lawmakers on March 16 in opposition to a pair of open arms carrying projects, saying the legislation could increase their task of healing communities that have been “destroyed by armed violence.”
The letter, which was co-ordinated in part by South Carolina volunteers for the gun security group Moms Demand Action and shared with The Post and Courier, arrives while the state chamber is expected to debate and vote on one of the bills to allow gun owners trained with a license to openly charge their weapons in public later this week.
Pastors and church ministers across the state, from Disciples United Methodist Church in Greenville to Charity Mission Baptist Church in North Charleston and First Presbyterian Church in Myrtle Beach, wrote in the letter that “they were at the forefront of the fight against armed violence in South Carolina South. “
“As religious leaders in our state, we know very well the devastating consequences of armed violence, as we approach the six years since a white supremacist murdered nine black parishioners at the Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston,” the letter says.
Signatories also include Rev. Sharon Risher, whose mother, Ethel Lee Lance, was among the victims of the Emanuel AME shooting.
The “open training to carry” bill is likely to win approval in the Republican-dominated House, where many members campaigned with the promise of expanding gun rights.
Majority leader Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, said at the beginning of the 2021 legislative session that it was “almost certain” that the bill would come out of the House after it became a major item on the Republican Party’s agenda.
But the project already faces opposition from another typically influential group in the state: law enforcement.
Charleston police chief Luther Reynolds testified against the bill at the subcommittee, and the head of the State Law Enforcement Division, Mark Keel, also expressed concern, saying he believes it can exacerbate armed violence.
The other bill, which would allow anyone to carry weapons openly regardless of whether or not they have a license, received its first hearing from the subcommittee last week. Conservative supporters of this measure, known as “constitutional carry”, may try to push it through the open training bill.
This proposal drew a particular condemnation from Rev. Henry Gregory, who said that it is important for the clergy to speak because their congregations seek comfort from them in the face of armed violence.
“It certainly makes our job even more difficult when the legislature seems to grant gun rights almost recreationally and without responsibility,” said Gregory, the pastor of New Home AME Zion Church in York.
State Representative Bobby Cox, the main sponsor of both arms projects, said he respects the pastor’s concerns, but noted that 45 other states have some form of open-ended laws “with little or no problem”. He cited an increase in arms sales in recent years as evidence of “an unprecedented desire for people to exercise their Second Amendment right”.
“This is not a Democratic or Republican issue, but a constitutional issue of personal security,” said Cox, R-Greenville.
Whether any of the bills will go through the Senate is still unclear. Senate majority leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said he personally supports the “open to carry training” bill, but is unsure of where the rest of the chamber is and whether it will fit into his hectic schedule. legislative.
Follow Jamie Lovegrove on Twitter @jslovegrove.