SC councilman wants ‘good guys’ to be allowed to carry guns at town park

A South Carolina councilman wants “good guys” to be allowed to carry firearms into public parks, trails and baseball and soccer fields owned by the town.

Rockey Burgess, councilman of the Town of Williamston in Anderson County, plans to introduce an ordinance on Dec. 4 that would allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry guns on property owned or controlled by the town, the Independent Mail reported.

He told Fox Carolina that “no weapons allowed” signs at the town’s park will not prevent a criminal from striking.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that those who intend to harm to others could care less whether there's a sign there or ordinance, or even a state statute that prohibits firearms,” Burgess said.

“I believe that the good guys typically follow the law and the bad guys typically don’t,” he told the Independent Mail.

In a Facebook post, Burgess stated that the town’s firearms ban from the park was “unlawful and unconstitutional,” and that the proposal would “bring the town into compliance with state statute.”

The town’s police chief and training officer have voiced concerns over liability and training with concealed weapons permit holders carrying firearms into the town’s park.

“What would happen if there is an accidental discharge and some child is hurt during an accidental discharge,” Williamston Police Chief Tony Taylor asked in an Fox Carolina interview. “We have events with alcohol, could there be liability issues. Those are some of the things we want to look at when it comes to this ordinance.”

An S.C. Attorney General’s Office spokesman told the Independent Mail that the state constitution “would preclude a municipality from regulating matters which have statewide impact such as the gun laws,” while citing a prior agency opinion. The town’s attorney also told the paper that he didn’t know of any other South Carolina town that has such an ordinance.

This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 1:24 PM with the headline "SC councilman wants ‘good guys’ to be allowed to carry guns at town park."