Richland County lawmaker has plan to improve gun violence prevention in SC
Gun violence is a problem in South Carolina, according to State Rep. Jermaine Johnson.
The Democrat who represents the Hopkins area of Richland County has a plan to support gun violence prevention initiatives in the Palmetto State, and he spoke about them Wednesday.
At a 10 a.m. news conference outside of the South Carolina State House, Johnson called on the General Assembly to allocate a portion of federal relief funds coming to the state to be used for gun violence prevention initiatives.
Johnson is proposing to use 1% of the federal American Rescue Plan money coming to South Carolina for the prevention plans.
Among others joining Johnson at the news conference on the north steps of the State House were Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, as well as fellow lawmakers State Rep. Wendy Brawley, D-Richland; state Rep. Krystle Matthews, D-Berkeley; Richland County Council member Derrek Pugh, and Columbia City Council member Tameika Isaac-Devine, who is a candidate running for Columbia mayor.
In 2020, South Carolina recorded the highest number of murders since the state started recording them in 1960, S.C. House Democrats said in a news release.
There were 571 murders in South Carolina last year, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. South Carolina has the 8th highest gun death rate in the country, according to the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence.
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This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 10:11 AM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified Tameika Isaac Devine’s elected position. She is a member of Columbia City Council.
