By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Second Amendment activists can add another win with Thursday’s signing of a Constitutional Carry bill in South Carolina by Gov. Henry McMaster, and this law takes effect immediately, according to the Charleston Post and Courier.
McMaster posted photos of the signing on his Facebook page, where he added this statement, “With my signature, South Carolina is now the 29th state in the country with constitutional carry. This bill expands the Second Amendment rights of our law-abiding citizens and will keep violent criminals behind bars with increased penalties for illegal gun use and possession.”
The Greenville News noted the legislation, which was prefiled in December, had been “heavily debated” in the state House and Senate. The new law allows law-abiding citizens age 18 and older who can legally own firearms to carry them openly or concealed, without a state permit.
McMaster’s action comes only two days after Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a similar measure. His state’s law takes effect on July 4.
The South Carolina law amounts to another stinging defeat for the gun prohibition lobby. Anti-gunners have fought concealed and open carry for several years. They have routinely predicted sky-is-falling consequences first for legal concealed carry and then for the advance of “permitless carry” statutes. Only states with Democrat control in the legislatures and governors’ offices appear to be holding out. Those include New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington, Oregon, California, Maryland and Illinois among the 21 “holdouts.”
According to WYFF News, the new law is known as the South Carolina Second Amendment Preservation Act. At the time of the Founding, the Second Amendment contained no permit requirement to keep and bear arms.
WYFF also noted that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) released a statement immediately after McMaster signed the bill.
“H. 3594 provides long overdue accountability to convicted felons who possess firearms while providing additional carry options to law-abiding citizens. Over the next several months, SLED will develop a training program and a contingent of certified CWP instructors to provide South Carolinians with firearm training pursuant to this legislation. This training will not be available to the public until the General Assembly appropriates funding in this year’s budget. Likewise, SLED cannot reimburse CWP instructors until funding is appropriated in this year’s budget.”
Almost simultaneously, Chief Matthew Calhoun of the Bureau of Protective Services, Department of Public Safety, reminded people they cannot bring firearms onto state grounds, including the Governor’s Mansion.
“We are in the process of adding additional signage throughout the complex to ensure visitors are aware, upon arrival, firearms are prohibited on the grounds, regardless of the changes made by the new law,” Calhoun said.
Whether this week’s double victory for gun rights causes activists in other states to push harder remains to be seen. For now, states with Constitutional Carry outnumber those requiring permits or licenses.
