STATEHOUSE REPORT | S.C. Rep. Wendell Gilliard (D-Charleston) has filed a bill requiring weapons detectors in all S.C. public schools. The proposal would require everyone entering school buildings and venues to be screened by trained professionals.
“If weapons detectors are good for the governor and good for us at the Statehouse, then they should be good for our students,” Gilliard said.
But some say the measure may face a difficult path because of costs.
“We’ve got some districts in the state that are severely underfunded so what’s the burden gonna be on those districts,” Charleston County parent Joy Brown told WCSC TV. ”Just in Charleston County alone we have 88 schools so how many entrances need weapon detectors and who is going to man them.”
In another proposal, lawmakers are being urged to consider new gun storage laws that, if approved, could offer possible penalties for parents, guardians or even firearm retailers in the state of South Carolina who fail to store their firearms properly.
In 2024, the number of deaths in the United States from gun violence was 40,856, down from 43,223 the year before, according to GunViolenceArchive.org. While the number of gun-related suicides was about 24,000 each year, the number of murders or unintentional gun deaths dropped from 19,223 in 2023 to 16,700 in 2024. Mass shootings dropped to 503 in 2024, more than 150 less than the year before.
In other recent news
Sentence softened for former utility exec. Former SCANA executive Stephen Byrne’s new year started on a bright note Thursday, as a federal judge reduced his sentence in the $9 billion V.C. Summer “Nukegate” scandal from 15 months in prison to the same amount of time at home. U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis said the switch to home confinement reflected the “substantial assistance” Byrne provided to prosecutors in securing the convictions of three other defendants in the case.
The judge’s decision capped a seven-year legal saga that began with the sudden collapse of the V.C. Summer nuclear power project in 2017, which led to the abandonment of two partially-constructed reactors at the Summer site and left ratepayers on the hook for $9 billion in losses.
Byrne was originally sentenced to 15 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in March of last year.
In addition to the home confinement, he will still have to pay a total of $1.2 million in fines and serve three years on probation.
Funeral plans set for Jan. 9 for former President Jimmy Carter. President Joe Biden declared Jan. 9 as a National Day of Mourning in a proclamation on Sunday after Carter’s passing on Dec. 29 at the age of 100. Biden will deliver a eulogy at Carter’s funeral service held at the Washington National Cathedral, a White House official said Monday.
S.C. police organization calls for non-fatal strangulation legislation. The S.C. Fraternal Order of Police is advocating for legislation to criminalize the growing problem of non-fatal strangulation. South Carolina is the only U.S. state that does not have laws that directly define and punish the conduct.
No dancing past midnight: 9 odd laws that are still on the books in S.C. From horses, railroads to shopping curfews, here are nine unusual Palmetto State laws that are still alive and well in 2025.
S.C. tech schools seek $5 million for dual enrollment. Palmetto State technical colleges are requesting an additional $5 million this year to expand the number of rural high school students earning college credits before graduation.
S.C. voucher debate returns with strong emotions. The S.C. General Assembly’s efforts to create a private school voucher program paid for with state funds are creating strong emotions among parents, teachers and administrators on both sides.
Report on mysterious $1.8 billion delayed. An outside audit of the mysterious $1.8 billion sitting in a state bank account has been delayed until Jan. 15. When the existence of the account was first disclosed last year, officials could not explain the purpose or provenance of the funds.
S.C. sees 13% spike in homelessness. More than 4,500 South Carolinians were homeless in 2024, a 13.3% increase from the year before, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
S.C. Jewish leaders celebrate ‘light of unity’ at Statehouse. Rabbis and political leaders remembered the Oct. 7 attacks and called for the return of hostages at the annual menorah lighting on the Statehouse steps.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.