Logic, it can easily be stated, has never been something with which the S.C. General Assembly has an oversupply.
Lawmakers obviously agree that government controls like licenses and insurance requirements are handy tools to make sure people follow rules and do things in certain ways. There are business licenses, building permits, certificates of existence, corporate licenses, permits to sell liquor and licenses for more than 139 professions and occupations including, but not limited to, beauticians, barbers, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, doctors, accountants and lawyers. The list is endless.
There’s not a clarion call to get rid of this panoply of licenses. One lawmaker, in fact, seems so infatuated with drivers’ licenses — which you have to have to drive a car legally — that he wants to hike the fee on out-of-state newcomers by $250 and then add another $250 extra for licensing and registration of any newcomer’s vehicle. There aren’t any co-sponsors yet for GOP state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch’s “Yankee fees.”
But what about guns? What do legislators want to do there, you might ask. Well, with guns, Republicans seem to want to take the anti-license approach to make it as easy as possible to walk around with a loaded weapon that can kill with the quick click of a trigger.
State House Republicans pushed a measure through a committee this week to let owners of firearms carry handguns in the open or concealed without a permit. It’s another attempt to loosen gun restrictions based on the idea that people have the “constitutional right” to carry a gun.
Supporters say they shouldn’t have to get a government permission slip to carry a gun. Which makes zero sense in an environment in which those very same people willingly get licenses to drive a car, pay insurance for the ability to drive a car and pay taxes so they can have a car.
Two years ago, lawmakers battled over gun rights and ended up with a law that allows gun owners with concealed weapons permits to carry their guns in the open, but it also required them to undergo training and background checks if they want to carry a concealed weapon. The new proposal would eliminate the training requirement on how to carry a firearm in public responsibly.
Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds says eliminating the training requirement is not a good idea, particularly in a culture where mass shootings are on the rise. He said he was alarmed and outraged that the House bill passed out of committee on the fifth anniversary of the Parkland school massacre, in which 17 people, including 14 children, died.
“I’ve been a gun owner for most of my life, I’m a supporter of the right to bear arms and I believe we have an obligation to ensure that those who own guns do so responsibly,” Reynolds said Thursday. “Requiring permits and basic training on how to use firearms safely are critical to maintaining safety for everyone, including the gun owner.
“Allowing people to carry guns without any permit or training would create an enormous threat to public safety and make the jobs of law enforcement even more difficult and dangerous.”
Gun-control advocate Patty Tuttle of Moms Demand Action said in a statement, according to the Associated Press: “Let’s make one thing clear: Lawmakers are preparing to strip us of one of our last remaining public safety laws — and at the expense of our lives. Keeping our current system of concealed weapons permitting does not violate anyone’s constitutional rights. It is a simple mechanism that makes all South Carolinians safer.”
It’s unclear what the future holds on the bill requiring no permit to carry a gun. Two years ago, the Senate, which hasn’t changed this year, didn’t even take up an almost identical House bill.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of the Charleston City Paper and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@charlestoncitypaper.com.
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