South Carolina has officially joined the ranks of states championing Second Amendment rights by allowing permitless carry of handguns. Governor Henry McMaster’s signature has marked a significant advancement in gun rights, making South Carolina the 29th state in the nation to adopt this policy. This move has sparked a mix of reactions, with supporters celebrating the enhancement of personal freedoms and detractors voicing concerns over public safety. Here’s a deeper look into the implications and expectations surrounding this landmark legislation.

A Milestone for Gun Rights

On March 7, Governor Henry McMaster signed into law a bill that has been the subject of extensive debate within the Statehouse. This legislation, representing the most considerable expansion of gun rights since the state permitted open carry for licensed gun owners three years prior, now allows South Carolina residents to carry handguns in most public places without a permit. Advocates of the bill hail this as a triumph for “constitutional carry,” celebrating the increased ability for law-abiding citizens to defend themselves.

Immediate Implementation

The new law took effect immediately upon the governor’s signature, removing the previous requirements for South Carolinians to undergo eight hours of training and pass a background check to carry concealed handguns. This significant change simplifies the process for residents to exercise their right to carry, though it specifically applies to handguns, with long guns having been permitted for open carry without a permit for years.

Restrictions and Clarifications

Despite the broad allowances, the legislation outlines specific locations where carrying handguns remains prohibited, such as police stations, courthouses, schools, hospitals, and federal facilities. Additionally, the law addresses carrying in private businesses and residences, granting owners the discretion to permit or prohibit guns on their premises. It also specifies conditions under which firearms can be carried in vehicles and the consequences of violations, aiming to balance the newfound freedoms with measures to ensure public safety.

Public Safety and Crime Reduction

Critics of the permitless carry law, including local Rep. Wendell Gilliard (D–Charleston), who said South Carolina has “paved the way for all 5 million citizens in South Carolina to the gates of hell,” have expressed concerns about potential rises in crime and mass shootings. However, empirical evidence from states with similar laws suggests otherwise. Studies, including a notable one from Ohio, have demonstrated that permitless carry can lead to decreased gun crime, challenging the narrative that such laws endanger communities. According to the Center for Justice Research, the introduction of constitutional carry in Ohio was followed by a reduction in gun-related crimes in six of its eight largest cities.

The Debate on Training and Penalties

The law also supports the value of formal training for gun owners and the role of penalties in enforcing responsible carry. While the elimination of the permit requirement removes mandatory training, the state will offer free gun training to people still looking to secure a firearms permit, which under the current law, does provide gun owners with extra legal benefits and recognizes the importance of responsible gun ownership. Furthermore, the law introduces stiffer penalties for those carrying guns unlawfully or committing crimes while armed, particularly for repeat offenders, underscoring a commitment to penalizing criminal use of firearms rather than responsible personal carry.

 

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41 COMMENTS

  1. Is there any provision for non residents that don’t own property to carry? Previously you had to own property to obtain a carry permit.

  3. woohoo
    there are now 44 states in america
    that have some form
    of permitless
    open or concealed carry
    #winning

    • Not CA. Our Keystone Kops in Sacramento – led by Newsollini himself, outspoken hater of all things conservative – are purposefully setting themselves as in opposition to the liberty-minded direction other States are taking.

  4. No doubt students and medical staff will feel safer knowing that any potential shooter is now deterred by the prohibition on carrying in schools and hospitals.

  5. Oh no! The streets will overflow with blood. It will be just like the OK corral night and day. The shooting and killing will run rampant and unabated. There will be no survivors!

    Just yanking the chain. Congrats South Carolina!

  6. Thanks to fence sitters SC was on shakey ground but managed to fill the glass half full. The remaining states should figure it out that taking a Constitutional Right from citizens and selling it back to them is Highly Unconstitutional. If it takes a court order to end the scheme entirely then so be it.

  7. Does this new South Carolina law (removing the requirement to obtain a license/permit to carry a handgun) apply to open carry, concealed carry, or both?

  8. Welcome South Carolina. 2 new states in less than 2 weeks. Good to see S.C. has free training available.
    Sad to see the same old lame arguments:
    Training is no guarantee mistakes will not happen even by the most trained including LEOs.
    Open carry is already legal and placing a garment over a gun doesn’t change a thing.
    Don’t know who/whom is carrying….well you don’t know now who or whom is carrying.
    Bad guys/criminals don’t follow the law now so no change for them.

    Question for the anti: If all the present laws are working so good, then why is there so much crime?
    Since present laws are not working so good, then what is there to lose.
    No citizen is required to carry and these permitless carry laws are for the Good Citizens only.

    • It is long past time that criminals were held accountable for their actions.
      Penalizing good citizens only places the good citizen in danger.

      Want to talk about doing more, then pass laws that removes legislators from office who openly and clearly violate their oath of office.

  9. The list if prohibited places needs some work. Hopefully next session.

    Right now these are all prohibited places to carry, with or without a permit in SC:

    (8) church or other established religious sanctuary unless express permission is given by the appropriate church official or governing body;

    (9) hospital, medical clinic, doctor’s office, or any other facility where medical services or procedures are performed, unless expressly authorized by the appropriate entity;

    (10) residence or dwelling place of another person without the express permission of the owner or person in legal control or possession of the residence or dwelling place, as appropriate; or

    There have been SEVERAL recent events were citizens stopped attacks in churches.

    Hospitals almost always have their own anti-gun policy, this law is unneeded.

    Residences should be “opt out,” not “opt in.” Nobody starts a home visit with “Hey, can I bring my gun in your house?” This one is little more than an effort to stigmatize lawful gun carriers.

  12. Cool, 50-29 is???, well it’s more then 25 so we win the majority and since The Greatest President America has or ever will have Joseph Robinett Biden thinks America is a democracy majority rules. That means National recipes, so no matter where you go you can carry however, whatever, you want. Even a cake with a file in it.

    • Jealous beeeotch couldn’t get laid if she was in a chicken.
      And how does she no it wasn’t consensual.

  18. We need to make North Carolina the 40th state to sign on. That would make the entire South CC (permitless carry) I really hope that happens before the general election on 5Nov’24.

  19. Yay.
    But not really because we were never supposed to have had permission in the first place.
    They take and they give, they give and they take.

  20. Wow another from the former Confederate States of America. Now a free state. And the union states are the ones who make black people slaves.

    But don’t worry. You’ve got legal butt sex and drugs to make everyone a comfortable slave. In California, New York, Washington State, etc.

    And now the National Guard in New York will be a “Standing Army” proving all your security needs. It’s good to Defunded the police. So says the libertarians liberals and the left.

    • Yet again, you have no fucking clue what a libertarian or liberal is. Our founders were liberals. Stop allowing those morons on the left to change the definition of words!

      • “Stop allowing those morons on the left to change the definition of words!”

        That is a bit late, don’t you think. At least 60yrs ago, the meaning of words changed in the mind of the public: “Liberal” = liberal use of government to control the populace; “Conservative” = conservative/limited use of government to protect founding principles (which the founders were in the sense of the day).

        • to Sam I Am
          There was a time when libertarians and conservatives believed in many of the same things.

          That is, that people should be held accountable for the stupid things that they do. And the taxpayer should not have to pay for the results.

          But libertarians gave up their core principles. Because they could never get enough people to join their membership.

          The end result is Colorado, a perfect example. They voted libertarian. And got c0mmun!st/f@sc!sm instead. But to hide the truth, it’s called pr0gress!veism.

          They got legal butt sex and drugs. And in exchange their freedom is going away.
          And people are leaving Colorado just like they’re leaving California.

          btw
          In the world they helped to create, the misspelling of certain words is required.

      • to Phillip
        Please provide 10 examples of Libertarians who celebrate the police.
        Please provide 10 examples of Libertarians supporting the police. Using deadly force against criminals/rioters.

        I already know the LP is not a source for these answers.

        btw
        You may not know this but there are cops who call themselves libertarian.

  21. @Chris T in KY
    “There was a time when libertarians and conservatives believed in many of the same things.”

    Yes, indeed……until “Libertarians” became “Libertines” (which I hold as being Neo-Anarchists).

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