Lawmakers studying causes, solutions to youth gun violence

A new South Carolina House committee tasked with curbing the state’s historically high juvenile crime rate will sprint to produce short-term legislative recommendations over the next two weeks — and then settle in for a long year of hearings, study and systemic reform proposals.

That was the two-step approach laid out by Berkeley County Republican Rep. Brandon Cox as he chaired the committee’s first meeting on Nov. 5, where he shared S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) data showing arrests of more than 25,000 juveniles across the state in 2024. Of those, more than 1,600 were charged with gun crimes and 57 with murder.

Nevertheless, Cox and other committee members avoided the punitive rhetoric often associated with the issue in the past, stressing that the goal was to prevent minors from entering the criminal justice system in the first place.

“We want to love these children — all our children,” Cox told committee members in his opening statement.

Democratic Rep. Kambrell Garvin, whose Richland County district recently saw three teens injured when shots rang out at a Halloween bonfire, echoed the chairman’s remarks.

“They were simply being teenagers,” Garvin noted, “and gunshots erupted.”

Local police agencies told Statehouse Report they welcomed the legislative intervention, calling the problem of teens and guns an “epidemic” in their communities.

“We can’t do this by ourselves,” North Charleston Police Chief Ron Camacho said, noting 45 of the 209 illegal guns his department confiscated in 2025 were taken from teens.

He added, “We need help from parents, from the school district, from wherever we can get it to educate and alert our juveniles to the dangers and consequences of dealing with guns — and how one action can change your life forever.”

Asked what kind of immediate changes he’d like to see from the committee, Camacho turned to an issue local police have raised alarms about for years — the large number of guns stolen from cars that often aren’t even locked. Over the past two years, about 450 guns have been stolen from vehicles in North Charleston alone, department officials say.

And because so many of those guns wind up in the hands of teens, Camacho said, some sort of “accountability” for adults needs to be part of the solution.

“I’m not talking about the Second Amendment,” he said. “I’m talking about people who own guns being responsible, locking up their guns at home and not keeping them in their car.”

Reached by phone on Nov. 6, committee member Rep. Spencer Wetmore, a Charleston Democrat, said she shared the chief’s concern.

More accountability needed, rep says

“We need to have that conversation,” she said. “There has to be accountability for both kids and adults. And one thing we know is what we’re doing isn’t working, so that’s one area I imagine we’ll try to address as quickly as possible.”

Other items the committee might look at immediately, she said, include so-called “status offenses” — that is, crimes like truancy that are only illegal because of the offender’s status as a minor — and gun crime sentencing.

That said, Wetmore emphasized the chairman’s wish to take public testimony before announcing any near-term actions, as well as his commitment to a more in-depth, deliberative process in 2026.

“It’s important for the public to understand that the short-term things we do are by no means the only things we’re going to do,” she said. “We’re trying to take a comprehensive look at these issues, and not just rush through a few ‘Look, we did it’ solutions.”

Looking further out, Wetmore emphasized the need for reform in the state’s juvenile justice, mental health, community outreach and educational systems.

“It’s going to be complex,” she said. “But those are the areas we’re going to have to focus on.”

ACLU of South Carolina’s Courtney Thomas, whose organization has been locked in a years-long battle with the state over conditions at its juvenile justice facilities, said she’s encouraged by the committee’s approach.

“We’re glad the House is willing to address these issues,” she said. “But it’s important for people to understand there’s no higher level of criminality of children in South Carolina than anywhere else. The difference here is the lack of statewide services.”

And it’s that lack of services, she said, that committee members need to hear about during their public input session at 10 a.m. on Nov. 13 in Blatt Building Room 110.

“There’s still some stigma about having a child in custody, but that’s exactly who our legislators need to hear from,” Thomas said. “So I hope people will be brave and tell their stories — and that our legislators will listen.”