House Republicans reject Senate version of ‘Constitutional Carry’

House Republicans are not accepting the Senate’s version of the ‘Constitutional Carry’ bill.

A week after the Senate passed H. 3594, the permitless carry bill, House Republican leadership announced they plan to reject the changes that were made during the Senate amendment process.

“It is our firm belief that this bill, in its original form, best reflects the fundamental rights and freedoms of our constituents,” SC GOP Majority leader Davey Hiott wrote in a statement via Twitter.

Under current law, anyone who can legally own a gun needs a concealed weapons permit, which requires training to carry it publicly. This bill, however, allows all legal gun owners to carry publicly without a CWP.

The House passed a version of the permitless carry bill in 2023. The Senate added several amendments last week, including creating an optional training program free to participants available twice monthly in every county in SC, put on by SLED.

The Senate also changed the age from 21 to 18 to carry a concealed weapon and added an extra penalty for carrying in prohibited places without a CWP.

“While I respect the intentions and efforts of the Senate, the House Republican Caucus remains united in our decision to non-concur with the Senates changes,” the SCGOP release said.

House Republicans who took issue with the amendments said the bill that came out of the Senate was not true “constitutional carry,” but instead, a watered down version.

Some House Republicans have been concerned that if they send the bill back to the Senate, it may not move through at all, leaving another year without the passage of the bill. But RJ May, R-Lexington, vice president of the South Carolina Freedom Caucus, called that concern a political tactic.

“What the Senate passed is unacceptable and we’re glad they [House Republicans] finally came around to actually stand up for second amendment rights,” May said.

Governor Henry McMaster has been a supporter of the bill since its inception. He released a statement after House Republicans decided to not concur.

“The decision today by Republicans in the SC House to reject Senate changes to H. 3594 keeps the ‘revolving door’ for career violent criminals wide open,” the press release said. “The public is losing confidence. So am I.”

This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 6:34 PM.