Current:Home > MarketsSouth Carolina to provide free gun training classes under open carry bill passed by state Senate-VaTradeCoin
South Carolina to provide free gun training classes under open carry bill passed by state Senate
lotradecoin airdrop View Date:2024-12-25 23:48:24
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina would provide free gun training and allow anyone who can legally own a gun to carry their weapon in public under a bill that passed the state Senate on Thursday.
The training was a compromise that finally brought two weeks of debate to an end, convincing a handful of Republicans reluctant to allow open carrying of guns without encouraging the class currently needed to get a concealed weapons permit — a position that also worried a number of law enforcement leaders.
The bill was approved on a 28-15 vote. One Republican voted against it and one Democratic senator voted for it.
The proposal now returns to the House to see if they will agree to the Senate’s changes.
Twenty-seven other states allow open carry of guns without a permit, including nearly every one in the Deep South.
Traditional gun-free zones like hospitals, schools and the Statehouse would remain as well as businesses that choose to ban weapons.
The Senate version of the bill also would require a statewide advertising campaign to let people know about the free concealed weapons permit training classes while also informing residents that guns can be carried openly by anyone 18 or over.
Supporters of the proposal also added enhanced penalties if someone is convicted of carrying a gun in a place weapons are prohibited and do not have the concealed weapons permit.
Allowing open carry of weapons has been a goal of Republican Sen. Shane Martin since he was elected to the Senate in 2008. He said the bill isn’t exactly what he wanted, but it is close and compromise was needed to get it passed.
“I don’t think it’s going to cause as many problems as they think it’s going to because the one thing we have to remember is the criminals are always going to be carrying,” the senator from Spartanburg County said.
Opponents to the compromise reached at 11:45 p.m. Wednesday were still stunned as the final vote came up about 15 hours later.
They were almost all Democrats and said Republicans wanted to spend millions of dollars on gun training and promoting people to buy weapons while rejecting Medicaid expansion or expanding summer feeding programs for poor children because it is too expensive.
“I think what we’re doing today is going to turn our state into the Wild, Wild West. No licenses, no training, inadequate background checks,” said Sen. Mia McLeod of Columbia, an independent who often votes with Democrats.
Some conservatives were initially torn by the weight of a number of law enforcement leaders who said they worry about armed people with a lack of training as well as officers arriving at shooting scenes where they might encounter a number of armed people as they try to assess who is a threat and who is trying to help.
The bill includes new state penalties of at least five years when a felon is convicted of a crime using a gun. Police had been imploring for this proposal for years and its inclusion in the open carry bill was seen as a compromise.
Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster also has been urging lawmakers to pass the new penalties and asked the House to approve the Senate bill and get it to his desk as soon as possible.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey if Edgefield said the bill likely wouldn’t have passed without the free training and another proposal that would add up to an additional three years in prison for someone convicted of a gun crime who has not taken the concealed weapons permit class.
Massey didn’t get a formal estimate on how much it will cost to have at least two free training classes a week in each of the state’s 46 counties. Based on the number of concealed weapons permits issued in the state each year, he estimated it would cost at least $4 million.
veryGood! (738)
Related
- Luigi Mangione Case: Why McDonald's Employee Who Reported Him Might Not Get $60,000 Reward
- Oprah Winfrey Shines on Golden Globes Red Carpet Amid Weight Loss Journey
- Selena Gomez's 2024 Golden Globes Look Shows Her Rare Beauty
- 12 Top-Rated Amazon Finds That Will Make Your Daily Commute More Bearable
- Worst. Tariffs. Ever. (update)
- Eagles rock LA homecoming for Long Goodbye tour, knock nearby 'spaceship' SoFi Stadium
- The pandemic sent hunger soaring in Brazil. They're fighting back with school lunches.
- Reese Witherspoon, Heidi Klum bring kids Deacon, Leni to Vanity Fair event
- China says Philippines has 'provoked trouble' in South China Sea with US backing
- FDA: Recalled applesauce pouches had elevated lead levels and another possible contaminant
Ranking
- Sabrina Carpenter Shares Her Self
- South Dakota lawmakers see alignment with Noem as session begins
- Mario Zagallo funeral: Brazil pays its last respects to World Cup great
- Rams vs. Lions playoff preview: Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff face former teams in wild-card round
- Travis Kelce Praises Taylor Swift For Making Eras Tour "Best In The World"
- Why isn't Travis Kelce playing against Chargers? Chiefs TE inactive in regular season finale
- CBS News poll on Jan. 6 attack 3 years later: Though most still condemn, Republican disapproval continues to wane
- Hailee Steinfeld Addresses Josh Allen Engagement Speculation at 2024 Golden Globes
Recommendation
-
When is the 'Survivor' Season 47 finale? Here's who's left; how to watch and stream part one
-
How did Washington reach national title game? It starts with ice-cold coach Kalen DeBoer
-
With every strike and counterstrike, Israel, the US and Iran’s allies inch closer to all-out war
-
Palestinians flee from central Gaza’s main hospital as fighting draws closer and aid groups withdraw
-
Taxpayers could get $500 'inflation refund' checks under New York proposal: What to know
-
Powerful winter storm brings strong winds and heavy snow, rain to northeastern U.S.
-
New Mexico justices hear challenge to public health ban on guns in public parks and playgrounds
-
Golden State's Draymond Green back on the practice floor with Warriors after suspension