| Sending a letter to the editor
The South Carolina Legislature will soon vote for the “Open Carry with Training Act”, House Bill 3094. Our state already has the 11th highest rate of firearm deaths in the country. While supporters of HB 3094 argue that it would make us safer, in fact it would lead to more tragedies.
The bill would allow holders to carry weapons openly in bars and in political protests, volatile situations in which moods can explode. Research has shown that a visible weapon increases aggression, making it more likely that a conflict will turn into deadly violence. If open transport was legal in Washington, DC, on January 6, imagine how many people the Capitol rebels would have murdered.
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Law enforcement work would also become more dangerous with open transport. Officers must make instant decisions on whether armed citizens are “good” or “bad”. An error of judgment can be lethal for law-abiding citizens with guns, innocent passers-by and officers.
Some defenders of the HB 3094 have an economic interest in selling more weapons. Congressman Bobby Cox, one of the project’s main sponsors, is an executive at arms manufacturer Sig Sauer. The promotion of open transport is comparable to the pharmaceutical industry’s campaign to induce doctors to prescribe additive painkillers. In the resulting opioid crisis, millions of Americans became addicted and hundreds of thousands died. Likewise, Southern Carolinians are being led to believe that more gun ownership, including open arms, would make us safer. The opposite is true.
There is no need for HB 3094. Responsible gun owners already exercise their Second Amendment rights. The solution to our fear of violence is not to become addicted to weapons – and the resulting cycle of violence. Ask your state representative to oppose HB 3094.
Mary Lash
Piedmont