Lawmakers Rejected Legislation to Weaken Standards for Who Can Carry a Concealed Handgun in South Carolina; to Dismantle the Permitting System for Carrying Hidden, Loaded Guns in Public; and to Allow Guns in K-12 Schools
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement after the South Carolina legislature adjourned without passing any of a slate of dangerous gun lobby-backed bills.
Among the policies that lawmakers rejected were H.B. 3930, legislation that would have dismantled South Carolina’s concealed handgun permitting system, allowing people to carry handguns in public without a permit or firearm safety training while also forcing South Carolina law enforcement to automatically recognize concealed carry permits from any other state, including those with no training requirement or other weak permitting standards. Lawmakers also failed to pass: HB 3240, which would have also forced South Carolina law enforcement to recognize concealed carry permits from any other state; H.B. 3566, which would have allowed guns to be carried in K-12 schools; and H.B 3700 and S.B. 449, both dangerous permitless carry bills which would have enabled people with no permit and no training to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public without a permit.
To help stop these dangerous bills, South Carolina Moms Demand Action volunteers held an advocacy day at the statehouse, testified against them in committees and flooded their lawmakers with phone calls and emails opposing the gun lobby’s legislative priorities.
STATEMENT FROM SYLVIE DESSAU, VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEADER WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“South Carolinians have a proud history of responsible gun ownership, and we are pleased that our lawmakers did not enact any of the reckless policies that would have put our communities at risk. Legislation like H.B. 3240, H.B. 3930, H.B. 3700 and S.B. 449 would have dismantled the protections our permitting system provides, and allowed people with no training or background check and people from states with weak permitting systems to carry hidden, loaded guns in public. And H.B. 3566 would have allowed guns in our children’s schools, where they do not belong. Our teachers are professionals dedicated to educating children, not first responders whose job it is to handle firearms in a time of crisis. All of these bills flew in the face of common sense and public safety, and South Carolinians can sleep more soundly knowing they have been stopped this year.”