COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina would provide free gun training and allow anyone who can legally own a gun to carry their weapon in public under a bill that passed the state Senate on Thursday.
The training was a compromise that finally brought two weeks of debate to an end, convincing a handful of Republicans reluctant to allow open carrying of guns without encouraging the class currently needed to get a concealed weapons permit — a position that also worried a number of law enforcement leaders.
The bill was approved on a 28-15 vote. One Republican voted against it and one Democratic senator voted for it.
The proposal now returns to the House to see if they will agree to the Senate’s changes.
Twenty-seven other states allow open carry of guns without a permit, including nearly every one in the Deep South.
Traditional gun-free zones like hospitals, schools and the Statehouse would remain as well as businesses that choose to ban weapons.
The Senate version of the bill also would require a statewide advertising campaign to let people know about the free concealed weapons permit training classes while also informing residents that guns can be carried openly by anyone 18 or over.