Sparks fly on House bill to allow non-South Carolinians to carry concealed guns

A bill that would allow perhaps thousands of out-of-staters to carry concealed weapons in South Carolina came under fire Thursday from a lawmaker who charged the bill would be unfair to S.C. residents and make them less safe.

“This will make our citizens second-class citizens,” said Rep. James Smith, D-Richland, who opposed the bill at an S.C. House Judiciary subcommittee hearing.

Some other states issue concealed weapons permits to 18-year-olds and don’t require any safety training at all, Smith noted. In South Carolina, Smith said, people getting a concealed weapons permit have to be 21 and undergo firearms training and gun safety education.

If the bill passes, a teen from Alabama – a state that allows 18-year-olds to carry concealed weapons without any training or gun safety requirements – could come to South Carolina with a legally hidden powerful .50 caliber handgun, Smith said.

The bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Alan Clemmons, R-Horry, disagreed, noting that last year, the General Assembly passed a law granting Georgia citizens – who have no training requirement to get a concealed weapons permit – to obtain legal concealed weapons Georgia permits and come into South Carolina with a concealed gun.

“They in fact have added to the peace of South Carolina by coming into the state as peaceful citizens who simply wish to be able to protect themselves and those around them,” Clemmons told the subcommittee. Furthermore, South Carolinians with legal concealed weapons permits can now carry concealed guns in Georgia, he said.

Smith, a U.S. Army veteran of the Afghanistan War who was in numerous live-fire combat situations and used a variety of weapons, said, “In my own experience, training is important when you are handling a deadly weapon.”

Clemmons should encourage other states that want to have reciprocal concealed gun agreements with South Carolina to require firearms training for concealed-permit holders, Smith said. “How hard is it to set that standard?”

Clemmons’ bill, which has more than 45 co-sponsors, was carried over until a future subcommittee hearing.

The State Law Enforcement Division hasn’t taken a position on the bill and declined to comment. The S.C. Sheriff’s Association likely will take a position on the bill in the near future, a spokesman said Thursday.

The National Rifle Association backs Clemmons’ bill. A statement emailed to The State said the bill is in line with the NRA’s “top priorities,” which include allowing “law-abiding citizens greater freedom to exercise their 2nd Amendment right to self-protection.”

Also at Thursday’s meeting were members of MomsDemandAction, a group that urges gun safety measures. That group opposes Clemmons’ bill because it would lower state gun safety standards. “Our standards in South Carolina are excellent,” said Sylvie Dessau.

This story was originally published January 26, 2017 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Sparks fly on House bill to allow non-South Carolinians to carry concealed guns."