COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A proposal to allow any legal gun owner to openly carry their weapon in public without training is struggling to pass through South Carolina’s General Assembly as Republicans and gun rights supporters argue among themselves.
The bill would appear to be an easy lift in a reliably conservative state. Twenty-seven other states allow open carry of guns without a permit, including nearly every state in the Deep South.
But the bill is in limbo as some Senate Republicans insist on adding a carrot and stick to the proposal by funding the training currently required for open-carry permits, and adding extra punishments when people without the training carry guns into places where they are outlawed, like schools, hospitals, churches, government offices and courthouses.
Republicans in the House insisted on their own version Tuesday with a vote of 85-26, after only a few minutes of open debate and plenty of discussions behind closed doors.
“We debated it, we talked about it and we realized our bill is the best bill forward for South Carolinians to protect their freedoms and to get criminals off the street,” said House sponsor Republican Rep. Bobby Cox of Greer.