COLOMBIA – South Carolina-trained gun owners can openly carry their guns in public under a new bill that some state lawmakers hope will pass later this year.
Some arms rights advocates argue that the “open-minded-trained” project would be a sensible expansion without going as far as other advocates who prefer a “constitutional-sized” measure that would allow all Southern Carolans to openly bear arms, regardless of whether or not they allow it.
“This is an incremental step to restoring our constitutional freedoms,” said state deputy Bobby Cox, R-Greenville, the project’s chief advocate.
Despite its politically conservative reputation, South Carolina is currently one of five states that prohibit open firearms possession for licensees, along with California, Florida, New York and Illinois.
The measure would maintain many of the limitations in effect under state law, meaning that gun owners would not be able to transport to business or private residences that do not want them.
Weapons would also still be banned in several other places, including courts, hospitals, police stations, prisons, polling places, schools, day care centers or any other places where weapons are restricted by federal law.
But instead of being forced to hide them elsewhere in public, gun owners with a license could openly carry them. The South Carolina authorization process requires candidates to undergo a criminal background check as well as a firearms security and training course.
The bill may also clear up some confusion in state law. As the law explicitly prohibits the open carrying of small arms, some South Carolinaians have interpreted that it allows the open carrying of long weapons by default, an issue that has not yet been resolved by the courts.
Lawmakers began considering the bill with a House subcommittee hearing on February 4, which provided testimony from several experts, including a Duke University law professor, two supporters of the arms rights groups project, and an opponent of a weapons security group.
Joanne Walker, a South Carolina volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, argued that the project would lead to “a dangerous policy that would greatly expand the number of firearms openly carried in the state.”
“Responsible gun owners don’t usually carry weapons openly,” said Walker. “Open transport is often a means of intimidation.”
Amy Dillon, a firearms security instructor and advocate for gun rights, countered that the authorization process in South Carolina ensures that people understand how to use their weapons properly and said she could help protect against situations in someone else to start shooting illegally.
“By supporting this bill, you will give a responsible armed citizen the freedom of choice and flexibility of movement while doing so for the purpose of self-defense and the defense of others,” said Dillon.
The subcommittee plans to hold another hearing soon to hear the public’s testimony before voting on whether the move will go ahead. It could reach the plenary of the Chamber in the coming weeks.
Majority leader in the House, Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, and Senate Majority Leader, Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, are both on board with the bill, giving it a good chance to get through both chambers. dominated by Republicans and come to Governor Henry McMaster’s table.
Simrill said it is “almost certain” that the bill will pass the House. Massey said he expects the main issue in the Senate to fit him into his busy schedule, but he believes it is possible that they will be able to resolve it before the session ends in May.
“I think South Carolina in general supports the expansion of gun rights to law-abiding gun owners, but they want to make sure they are law-abiding gun owners, so they don’t want to expand gun rights to people who have been convicted of violent crimes, “said Massey.
McMaster’s spokesman Brian Symmes said the governor “would certainly sanction the law” if it passed the legislature.
The process may still face several obstacles, both from critics on one side who believe it would be unsafe and from critics on the other side who say it is not going far enough.
When the bill reaches the House floor, state deputy Jonathon Hill said he plans to try to replace it with the broader version of “constitutional approval”.
“I certainly think we can do better than restricted open transport,” said Hill, R-Townville, who added that he fears that if they pass the more limited version, the legislature will not consider more weapons projects in the future.
But Cox said he believed that, by approving the more limited version, it would help to push them toward that broader goal in the future – after South Carolina had a few years to get used to the sight of guns loaded openly on the streets .
Follow Jamie Lovegrove on Twitter @jslovegrove.